Twisted Katelyn Moon
by The living entity of laziness
Summary: A second Saw fanfiction of marginally better quality than the first. Better grammar and writing too if I do say so myself.
1. Tragic End

**Disclaimer: I do not own saw**

**Hey, I know I haven't updated in a long time, but the last few months/YEARS have been very bad ones. And I mean bad. I know I continued trapped for way too long, so I'm setting a cap on this one. No longer than 25 chapters and more regular updates. My writing skills have improved a lot since my last new FIC so I hope you'll like this one. **

Kate was relaxing. Her feet on her desk, music in her ears and nobody around to disturb her. Her dad, Harry Moon was out at work. He was the manager at an acting agency, so Kate was used to not having him around, in fact she enjoyed it, she had plenty of time to herself and a constant income of money. Which was good. Even if it did mean they never saw each other.

Kate flicked off her iPod and got up. Giving a huge stretch and a moan she flicked on her lamp.  
>"Best get it over with"<br>Reaching under her bed Kate produced her school bag, and set about writing her English essay. School was always a tricky subject with Kate. Nobody knew quite what to do with her. Brainy as hell, but more trouble than a monkey with a stick of dynamite and a lighter. Either she was doing something horribly forbidden or she was being bullied to the point of leaving. Kate was always in the middle, something she resented with a passion.

After slipping her bag back under her bed, Kate went out to the kitchen to have some dinner. As she did so, she looked at the note that her dad had put on the fridge:  
>WON'T BE BACK TILL TUESDAY. BIG MIX UP.<br>STAY OUT OF TROUBLE.  
>LOVE DAD. XXX<p>

Kate shoved a tray of fries into the oven and sighed. She took the note down from the fridge and read it. The three X's, the only sign of affection. It might as well have been written for a convict. STAY OUT OF TROUBLE made her sound like one. He'd signed it love dad, but sometimes Kate wondered if he really did. Kate loved her solitude, but never seeing her dad was an awful price to pay. She had missed out on so many good times with Harry, it was like he was a ghost. A distant memory rather than a father. She pulled the fries out, and pushing the thoughts of her dad from her mind, sat down for another evening on her own. 

Slowly, Kate's eyes opened, pulling her out of the sleeping world. As her senses booted up, she became aware of what had woken her. She had heard voices...  
>Kate's whole body stiffened as she saw 2 dark figures in front of her. One was kneeling on the ground, rummaging through the pile of clothes. The other was standing over her, writing in something. She shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. The voices were clear now.<br>"How old is she?"  
>"15"<br>"Why is she all alone?"  
>"That's what we're going to find out"<br>The voices were so quiet that Kate practically had to stop breathing to hear them.  
>"HM. This looks like a serious case of child neglect," said a deep voice "Doesn't look like he's been here for days"<br>"He could have been taken to court for this." the second voice was slightly higher, more pubescent than the first.  
>"Sergeant, she's just a kid."<p>

Kate relaxed. They were police. Throwing off her blanket, Kate stood to face her intruders.  
>"What are you doing here?"<br>Now it was the men's turn to stiffen. The one on the ground (a man in his 20's) stood up, shocked. The one who was standing (a man in his early 50's) took a step back, and produced a badge.  
>"Sergeant Rogers and PC Jones-" he began<br>"I have no concern of who you are or what you do, WHY are you here?" Kate interrupted.  
>The Sergeant Nodded, and beckoned for his companion. to join him. If he had had been a dog he'd have had his tail between his legs. He stood behind his partner, well away from Kate.<p>

"Please sit down," said the Sergeant. Kate wanted to protest, but something about his tone made her stop. He wasn't playing games. Reluctantly, Kate sat down.  
>"I'm afraid, I have some upsetting news," said the Sergeant, he nodded at the PC, who sat down next to her.<br>"Your father is Harry Moon correct?"

"Yes"  
>"Well, today" continued the PC "We were tipped off, about the hideout of a wanted felon. Someone we've been searching for for some time. And…When we arrived we found a series of traps. All containing…People…" He stopped, because Kate had begun to shake uncontrollably.<p>

She knew what he was going to say, but she hoped with every fibre of her body that he wouldn't. She knew who he was talking about. She knew the name of the man responsible. The man that used sick games and traps to hurt people. She had read the papers and watched the news. She knew they were talking about Jigsaw. But she PRAYED it wasn't true.

"Please stop talking about it." she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. Ever since she had first heard of him, Kate had never been able to stomach what Jigsaw was. He was her version of the bogeyman.

"PC" said the Sergeant disapprovingly. The PC nodded and turned back to her. "I'm afraid we can't stop talking about it" he sighed "Because, in one of those traps, was Harry Moon. Kate, I'm afraid your father has been killed"

He might as well have punched her in the stomach. It was as if someone had pushed a fork into her gut, and twisted it like some sort of sick spaghetti. Kate felt dizzy and faint, clinging to the couch for support.  
>The room started to spin, faster and faster, Kate felt like her head was caught in a vice...<p>

A cool blast hit her cheek, and Kate realised that she was on the floor, the room still spinning out if control. Kate couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't do anything...  
>Then she was sick, right from the bottom of her stomach. One of the policemen moaned, and she realised he'd been next to her. Another was phoning an ambulance. Kate started shaking again.<br>In that small minute, her whole world had come down.  
>Katelyn Moon was now alone. Forever.<p> 


	2. The Horror Of A Parental Substitute

The horror of a parental substitute.

**Disclaimer,****saw****is****not****mine**

Kate shivered in the hospital bed. It'd taken them over an hour to get her out of the apartment. After the shock had worn off Kate had refused to leave. Kicking and screaming like a child, until eventually breaking down in tears.  
>Now she lay there, humiliated by her outburst, horrified by her father's death, and frightened by the huge complicated hospital.<p>

They wouldn't let her leave. They wanted to check her over, give her grief counselling and find someone for her to live with. Fat chance. Kate's mother had committed suicide just after Harry divorced her. Kate had no other family.

She shivered again at the thought of a kid's home. She knew what they did. She'd had a friend in care a few years ago and she'd told Kate enough gruesome tales to still keep her awake at night. Kate knew she was just being silly, they weren't really like that. But every time she shut her eyes Kate saw herself covered in bruises, screaming for help that would never come.

And it wasn't like anybody was going to come along and get her out. Tears slid down Katelyn's face and she slipped under the covers. She had never missed her dad that much until now.  
>"Kate Moon?"<br>A nurse. Kate moaned  
>"Fuck off"<br>The sheets were pulled back, leaving her exposed. Moaning again, Kate sat up.  
>"What?"<br>The nurse smiled  
>"someone to see you"<br>The door opened and in came a large man. He was tall, with full lips and floppy hair. He looked quite smart, wearing a suit. He smiled widely at Kate.

"Detective Mark Hoffman. I'm investigating your father's murder."  
>Kate nodded quietly.<br>"Also, I've agreed to be your temporary foster parent until we can contact a part of your family"  
>Kate stared at him. Was he being serious?<p>

"I'm going to live with you?" she asked  
>"yes" he smiled<br>"you mean I'm not going into care?"  
>"Not permanently."<br>"What do you mean?" Kate was at the end of her bed now, staring into Mark Hoffman's face. She was desperate not to go to a kids home, even if it meant living with a total stranger.  
>"You'll be in care for a week or 2, while we get the paperwork sorted out."<br>Kate frowned. 2weeks. No. She frowned at the thought of being in a strange house full of other kids. She didn't want to be the new girl.  
>"I'm NOT going into care."<br>Hoffman gave a shameful smile  
>"I'm afraid you have to"<br>"the only I'll go into a care home is if you drag me there"

XXX  
>Kate sat in the front seat of Hoffman's car on the way to the care home, Scowling viciously.<p>

"A BOOSTER SEAT?" she finally exploded, kicking the dashboard. She'd almost screeched when she saw it, and after a long row Hoffman gave over and put it in the back. But Kate was far from satisfied. Hoffman tutted.

"It's the law, you're under 5foot 5, so you have to have a booster seat. You do realise if we get pulled over I have to pay a fine."  
>"Oh no, then who will throw me into a house full of strangers who'll hate Me." she frowned. She was fuming, TOTALY fuming.<br>" Why do you think they'll hate you?" asked Hoffman.  
>"Cos they will." Kate Sulked "And think about how much worse it'll be if you make me use a booster seat!"<br>Hoffman sighed.  
>"Look, I know you've had a tough time, but it won't be that bad. You listen to too many rumours. Care homes are OK."<br>Kate continued to sulk, ignoring Hoffman's attempt at small talk, and only showing signs of life when shooting a withering glance at him.

Hoffman on the other hand was totally oblivious. He talked and offered drinks and even sang along to Jedward on the radio. Kate simply slid lower and lower down her chair. If she'd been with her dad, things would have been so different. She'd be sitting in a Mercedes, drinking soda, singing to iron maiden. But here? She was in an old rover with an orange juice, blocking out ice ice baby.

From nowhere, Kate found tears in her eyes. She turned to face the window so Hoffman wouldn't see. She was ashamed. Things were so bad. As the silent sobs came, Kate shut her eyes and wished her dad were there.  
>Xxx<br>"Kate? We're here"  
>Hoffman nudged her awake, jolting her from a nightmare. Slowly, Kate peered out of the window. It was night, and in front of them was a huge building made of stone. Judging by the amount of windows, a lot of people lived there. Kate suddenly felt very small, and scared. And she didn't want to go in.<p>

Hoffman opened her door, but Kate clung to the chair, refusing to move.  
>" Oh for Pete sake" groaned Hoffman "you act like you can't wait to get rid of me and now you don't want to leave!"<br>"Hoffman." cried Kate, burying her face into the chair "please don't make me"  
>Hoffman seemed to soften. He patted her back.<br>"sorry."  
>Kate sniffed and rubbed her eyes, then nodded. After that, she just went along with what Hoffman said. She was just too tired to fight. She stood next to Hoffman at the door, anxiously waiting to see what it was like.<p>

The door opened, blasting out lights, music and the smell of soap. In the doorway stood a large blond woman with lots of braids. She was wearing an apron and a pair of jeans. Kate recognised her top instantly, iron maiden.  
>"hi! I'm Rose Thompson, but you can just call me Rose. You must be Kate."<br>Kate nodded.  
>"well, come in. I'm sorry for the mess but the boys were having a soccer game INDOORS, oh God I don't know..."<br>Her voice trailed off as Rose and Hoffman wandered away, leaving Kate in the doorway . Kate stared around the hall.

There was a big staircase in the centre at the back, there was a long rail guarding the landing, which had doors stretching all across. 2 corridors were at the sides of the main hall. On one of the Walls was a notice board, and all the kids pictures. She noticed her own had been put up as well. It was from last year. Kate was in her best friends pool, posing on the diving board, her long brown hair worn loose.

"nice photo."  
>Kate turned round to see a teenage boy standing behind her. His short blond hair was thick with mud and he was wearing a football kit. He grinned ear to ear showing a cracked tooth.<br>"you're the new girl Kate ?" he asked  
>Kate nodded<br>"I'm Sam. Come on then, I'll introduce you"  
>Dumping her stuff at the door Kate followed him down the left hall.<p>

"so how long are you here for?" asked Sam  
>"a few weeks" said Kate, finding her voice at last. "Then I'm moving in with my foster dad"<br>Sam laughed  
>"in and out in a flash. Well, not in in a flash. That guy had to practically carry you."<br>Kate's face flushed red. She hadn't known anybody had seen.  
>"Was everybody watching?"<br>"Pretty much." said Sam "but hey, don't sweat it. I've seen people much worse." Kate decided in that moment that Sam was awesome.

"He's a cop isn't he?" Sam asked. They were passing the kitchen, Kate could smell cake and chocolate. The smells mixed together, making her nauseous.  
>"H-how'd you know?" she asked, trying to shake off the smell.<br>"he was in an article about your dad...no offence, but he shouldn't have left you alone"  
>Kate fought the tightness in her throat, and her stinging eyes as hard as she could, but Sam still saw.<br>"I still miss him"  
>Sam put his arm around her, little flakes of mud scattered across her top.<br>"you're allowed to. He was still your dad. And half the kids here are orphaned. Don't worry, we're mostly nice."  
>Sam grinned at her, and for the first time since Harry died, Kate grinned back.<p>

They turned into a brightly lit room. Inside were 4 kids, all indulged in a big (and loud) game of Mario kart.  
>A girl about Kate's age, she had short black hair in a bob. She was wearing skinny jeans and a camisole and she was driving princess peach maniacally with tanned hands. Next was a boy who looked 17, he was in an identical football kit to Sam, he had floppy brown hair and was very tanned, and he was enjoying driving Luigi off the side. A little girl sat on his lap screaming happily. Her long blond pigtails flew everywhere. Her pink dungarees clinking. Finally, a red haired boy was waving a checkered flag enthusiastically, wearing a mini football kit complete with cleats.<p>

"OI!" shouted Sam. The game paused and everybody turned.  
>"This is Kate." he gestured like he was selling a couch, arms spread vertically. "Kate, the orange girl is Megan, the man is David, the pink princess is Harriet and the flag man is Dominic"<br>Kate waggled her fingers, they all smiled back. Harriet and Dominic launched themselves to Kate's leg and hugged. Kate patted their backs awkwardly. David stood up and shook her hand.  
>"read about your old man. Tough break" Kate smiled at him. Megan waved, not willing to give up her new lead on mario cart.<br>"nice to meet ya" she winked  
>"room for 2 more players?" asked Sam<br>"Definitely" laughed David

Xxx

They played mario cart for hours. David Sam and Kate tried hard but Megan thrashed them all. Eventually, They all flopped onto the couch, giggling like monkeys.

"Kate?"  
>She sat up to see Hoffman in the doorway.<br>"I have to leave now."  
>"ok" said Kate, she tried to sound careless but couldn't stop her voice catching. Slowly, she got up and hugged him.<br>MESSAGE RECEIVED  
>she reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone<br>"Kate put that down" he warned  
>But she'd already opened it.<br>BRING PARTS FOR 2 RBTS  
>J.K<br>"What's an RBT?" she asked  
>Hoffman pulled the phone so fast it burnt her hand.<br>"NEVER READ MY MESSAGES" he demanded.

The chipper mood disappeared, and the rest of the kids turned to stare at them.  
>Kate turned away, hurt.<br>"Kate?" asked Hoffman. He sighed "sorry"

Kate didn't move, fighting the urge to run from the room.  
>Realising the lost cause, Hoffman patted her shoulder and left, and Kate rejoined her friends.<p>

Xxx

"Bedtime!" yelled Rose, scooping up Harriet and Dominic expertly. They'd fallen asleep ages ago, while the rest had played poker.  
>"No!" Kate and Megan yelled in unison. They were both up $50 and unwilling to throw it away.<br>"you heard the lady." said David, hiding his shameful 2 pair under the table.  
>Reluctantly, Kate and Megan threw down their cards and went upstairs with the boys. Everybody trailed into their rooms. Except Kate. She hovered on the landing biting her lip.<br>"need a hand?" asked Sam, coming out of his room  
>"no." said Kate indignantly<br>Sam laughed " room to the right of mine, sorry in advance, it used to be Harriet's. Bathrooms on your other side"  
>Kate nodded and went into her room.<p>

It was ghastly. Deep pink shag pile carpet with pale pink walls. At least they'd tried to fix it. A bright blue duvet, White curtains and a sheepskin rug. Kate changed into her pyjamas And walked onto it. The wool snuggled against her toes, it felt lovely. Next thing she knew she was curled upon it, burying her head in the softness...

"there is a bed you know." laughed Sam from the hallway. His pyjamas were totally football themed right down to the slippers.  
>"get lost," Kate mumbled, trying to snuggle down. But the moment was gone now. Kate crawled over to the bed and clambered under the covers.<p>

"night" she mumbled, for no particular reason.

I like pie


	3. The Night Of Strange Happenings

3 Fanfic: a night of odd happenings.  
><strong>Disclaimer: I no own saw<strong>  
>Hoffman burst through the door of the warehouse, knocking over the coffee table as he did so.<br>"JOHN!" he screamed.  
>"You hollered?"<br>The 52-year-old man stepped into the light. He was quite frail looking, a most misleading quality. He had pure White teeth that shone in the bright light of the room. He was completely bald, most would have thought it was because of his age. But Hoffman knew that it was in fact due to an inoperable tumour.  
>This was John Kramer.<p>

Hoffman yanked his phone from his pocket and threw on the desk.  
>"Don't text me when I'm with the girl" he growled "You have no idea how close she was to figuring it out."<br>John smirked.  
>"Perhaps it would be good for her to know the truth."<br>Hoffman's jaw dropped. John chuckled at his face.  
>"The truth about her father, not the other thing"<br>Hoffman sighed.

He pictured telling her. He imagined her face drop, her fists clench and her eyes well up.  
>"I can't...it'd kill her." he whispered.<br>John raised an eyebrow.  
>"Need I remind you that you are only fostering this girl to keep her safe?"<br>"From something WE caused" argued Hoffman.  
>John took a step towards him.<br>"You feel guilty for what we did? Think about what her father did. He slept in the same house as her. Right across the hall, he could have so EASILY..."  
>Hoffman shivered, John nodded triumphantly.<br>"She can meet us. We need to throw her off the tracks, make her think were innocent in this. Soon, we'll tell her the truth about her father. And about who's after her...  
>Xxx<br>Kate was standing in the dark, a high-pitched laugh echoing around her, over and over again.  
>"Hello?" she whispered<br>suddenly, light flooded in around her, revealing her surroundings. She was in a big room with concrete Walls and a single bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. In the middle was a metal table, on it were 5 shackles all bound on by chains.

Kate found her hand reaching towards one, closer and closer, longing to feel the cool metal on her skin. Slowly, she tapped her index finger on a shackle...  
>It was as if it'd come to life, the shackle twisted up from the table like a snake, and launched itself at Kate's arm. The others repeated, flying at her in perfect time. She screamed as one caught her leg and began to drag her towards the bed. As she fell back, the others attached themselves to her limbs, the fifth one clamping around her neck.<p>

She fought and screamed, but she couldn't stop them. Soon she was lying on the table, her hands bound so tight the metal cut into her skin. Somewhere unseen a door opened, and footsteps approached. Kate squeezed her eyes shut, praying it wasn't who she feared it would be.  
>"Hello Katelyn..."<br>Her eyes snapped open, and gazed into a pair of deep red endless irises..

Xxx  
>Kate shot up, gasping for air. Wriggling free of the duvet, she sat up wrapping her arms around herself. A shiver went down her spine. She knew those eyes, she'd seen them on the news a thousand times. Every time they found Jigsaw's warehouse, they would also find the puppet. Sometimes it looked different. Thinner, fatter, longer, shorter. But the eyes always changed the most. Each time, deeper and redder. Always staring deep into hers. Kate felt like they were built to find her.<p>

Kate checked her alarm clock. 3 am. No chance of sleep now. After a short deliberation, Kate decided to grab a glass of water from the bathroom. Sliding off the bed she slipped out of her room into the dark gloomy hall.  
>The house was a different place at night. So empty, so lifeless. Had it not been for Dominic's snoring Kate would have been sure nobody lived there...<br>"Damn, so many rooms...but which one?"

Kate froze. Heavy footsteps echoed round the landing. Kate shivered, and the hair on the backs of her arms stood on end. Someone was in the house. She watched as a dark figure emerged from David's room. The figure walked forward and lent against the rails overlooking the hall. Slowly, Kate moved forward to get a better look. They were tall. In the moonlight Kate caught a glimpse of a pair of glasses and a flash of red hair.

Sighing, the figure turned and went into Sam's room. Kate felt a lump of fear rise in her throat. Who knew what they could've done to David, who knew what they could be doing to Sam...  
>At the back of her mind, Kate knew she should've been getting Rose, calling the police and everything, but she couldn't bring her feet to move. It was like the carpet was quicksand, the longer she stood there the harder it was to get away...<p>

But there's a way to get out of quicksand. A voice at the back of her head reminded her of what she'd heard on a TV survival show a few years ago. Move your legs in circles. Wriggle your feet to get as much space around them as possible. Kate began to rotate her ankles, getting the blood to flow properly. As her toes brushed through the night air she felt feeling return. Blood began to flow and muscles began to relax.

Kate found herself moving forward, into the light, out of the quicksand. Rose's room was just next to Sam's all she had to do was go in. Slowly, Kate walked to Roses door, and put her hand on the knob...  
>"morning"<br>Kate's knees buckled, and she let her head fall against the door. Slowly a hand fixed itself around her neck, and her whole body was being shoved against the wood. She was caught and she felt the ball of fear rise again. The man's hands were thick and as small splinters began to press into her forehead she realised he was wearing leather gloves. They squeezed her spine. Slowly he pressed his knee into her back. In the silent hall he pressed his mouth to her ear, and he whispered to silently Kate felt all the blood drain from her face.  
>"Well, you're a REGULAR little ninja, perhaps you and me should have a little talk? You'd like that. You'd like to have..."<p>

Kate felt the hand move, and heard a gasping noise, swinging round, she saw the person suspended in the air. Another hand was clamping down on his windpipe. A teenage boy stood there, his huge Amber eyes glaring into the figures terrified face. His long black hair was worn loose, almost reaching his waist. Kate walked forward, staring at this stranger. His eyes flicked to her, and she felt exposed, like she was completely naked. Then he said, in a dark voice.  
>"Get Rose."<p>

Kate dashed to Roses door and hammered hard with both fists.  
>After a rushed explanation. Her and Rose returned to see the intruder on the floor, clasping his throat. The boy was kneeling on him, his legs digging into ribs. Rose rushed downstairs, yelling for them to keep him there, but she needn't have worried. Everybody was up, staring and gasping. Harriet and Dominic were hugging at David's legs, shying away from the strange man. The boy looked into the man's face and stood up.<br>"He's not going anywhere."  
>He was right, the man had his eyes shut, his lips were moving but Kate couldn't hear what he was saying. Had she not just had him try to strangle her, Kate would've thought he was praying.<p>

"KATE!" yelled Sam, emerging from his room. "What happened?"  
>A wash of relief went over her, she rushed over and hugged him close<br>"someone broke in." she groaned, so glad to be safe. Sam hugged back, burying his face in her shoulder.  
>"you OK?" said a voice. Kate looked up to see the boy. She smiled and nodded gratefully. Sam smirked up at the boy and laughed.<br>"So, I see you've met Kai."


	4. the family

4 Fanfic : meeting the family

disclaimer, once again saw does not belong to me

Kate lay on the couch, staring at the Tv screen blankly. It'd been a whole week since the break in, but she still couldn't get her head around it. Why would he break in and not take anything? Why was he going into people's rooms? What did he want?  
>"Kate?"<br>It was Kai. Sitting up, Kate smiled at him.  
>"Hey. How was college?"<br>"Fine" he smiled back "how was...when DO you start school?"  
>Kate flopped back onto the couch and sighed "soon"<p>

Kai chuckled "what's wrong? Don't like school?"  
>Kate moaned and rolled onto her stomach "everything. The majority of students are pricks, those who aren't are either too good or too geeky to be fun, teachers are either boring or ass wipes, and it slowly drives you to a dead end job, a depressing family, divorce, and your eventual painful and gruesome death as you put your face in a shredder."<br>She looked up so see Kai's face twisting, trying not to laugh. Kate buried her face in a pillow and sighed again.

She heard Kai's footsteps approaching, as she opened an eye she saw him crouched in front of her.  
>"School is hard Kate, but you have to find your way through. Take it one day at a time, pick your battles, and when people get you down you just remember, you will always be better than them."<p>

Kate smiled. She liked Kai. Ever since the break in they'd really gotten to know each other. Kai was Roses stepson, he was training to be a careworker. He'd been living in the house since he was just 10, his mother died during childbirth and his father was in prison for murder. Kate had asked Kai if he missed his father, but all she'd gotten was a dismissive shrug. Kate had decided to drop the subject, not wanting to be nosy.

"Kate?"  
>Getting up Kate looked to the doorway to see Hoffman. She scowled and crossed her arms. Kai stood, sensing the tension and left. Kate was happy to see Hoffman raise a disapproving eyebrow at her outfit. A stripy blue camisole, blue ruffled skirt, black heels. Kate was still angry about the way Hoffman had spoken to her. Ever since she was young, Kate had hated being yelled at. She fixed Hoffman an icy stare<br>"what do you want?" much to her infuriation, Hoffman smirked.  
>"Still bitter?"<br>Kate's jaw clenched  
>"Still a fat old fucktard?" Hoffman laughed and put his hand on his heart.<br>"Hurt, deeply hurt."  
>Then, Straightening up he looked straight at Kate.<br>"You need to come with me." Kate raised an eyebrow sceptically.  
>"Oh do I?"<br>Hoffman nodded  
>"It's of great importance."<br>"Oh is it?" Kate asked sarcastically. She then sat back down on the couch, folding her arms even tighter  
>"no thanks."<br>Hoffman walked over to the couch and stood above her, putting his hands on his hips.  
>"Are you going to come with me, or are you going to sulk here like an infant?"<br>Kate glared right at him.  
>"I'm sitting right here thanks MARK."<p>

XXXX

once again, Kate was sitting in the front of Hoffman's car. She was HUMILIATED. Hoffman had put her over his shoulder caveman style, and stormed out of the house with her kicking and screaming. He hadn't tried to stop anybody seeing either, in fact he'd walked through the kitchen whilst everyone was having lunch just to humiliate her further. That was just the half of it. Had Kate come quietly, she probably would've argued him out of it again, but because she was forced, she'd had no choice. That's right, the booster seat.

Kate kicked the dashboard again. It was getting quite a few dents now. She glared up at Hoffman. That was another thing that was different, Hoffman was driving in quiet fury this time, no radio, no food, no Jedward.  
>"What, not hungry this time?" Kate asked sarcastically. She knew she was being a brat, but she didn't really care at this point seeing as how most of her dignity was already out of the window. Hoffman slammed his foot on the gas so hard the car jolted.<p>

"ooh, watch out, don't go past thirty, or by your standards the car could spontaneously combust! That is what happens isn't it? Though I suppose you wouldn't know." Kate spat. Hoffman's grip tightened on the wheel as they drove.  
>"You should know Kate" he finally said "I would try and get on my good side if I were you."<br>"Oh, and why's that?" she asked  
>"because" Hoffman smiled "seeing as how you're under 5 foot, I have the authority to tell Rose to make you use that seat for ALL car rides."<br>Kate's eyes widened.  
>"Or, I could just turn a blind eye. Just something for you to mull over."<p>

Kate shivered. Using the seat with Hoffman was bad enough. Using it all the time would be horrifying. The car pulled up. Looking through the window Kate was surprised to see a park. Parents and toddlers were on swings and seesaws and getting ice cream. Kate stepped out, slightly puzzled. Hoffman walked over to her side and opened the door. He gestured to the booster seat.  
>"Truce?"<br>Kate sighed  
>"truce"<br>Hoffman nodded, unhooking the chair and tossing it in the back. Then they set off, out of the parking lot, onto the grass.

"What are we doing here anyway?" asked Kate, she slipped the hairband out or her hair and let the wind whistle through it.  
>"I'm introducing you to some friends." replied Hoffman. He'd removed his jacket and thrown it over his shoulder and was now running a hand through his hair.<br>They approached the picnic area, and Hoffman steered them towards a table. They sat down in the shade, Hoffman put his feet up on the bench and Kate copied on the other side. For a few minutes they just sat there, listening to the noise around them.

After around a quarter of an hour, Hoffman began to check his watch. Then he got up and began to pace. By 12:45 he was about ready to explode.  
>"so, these friends...are they actually visible?" asked Kate.<br>Hoffman sat down and mumbled something under his breath.  
>"You know what?" he sighed "let's leave. We don't have to do this today."<br>Kate chuckled "so I had my underwear flashed to all my friends for nothing?"  
>Hoffman raised his eyebrow<br>"next time you disrespect me like that I'll glue that seat to your ass young lady."

Kate was about to retaliate when they were interrupted by yelling.  
>"HOFFMAN!"<br>"MARK!"  
>Hoffman looked at Kate, exasperated.<br>"Over here!" he called, waving.  
>In minutes they were joined by two people. A young woman with short spiky hair, and an old man wearing a backwards baseball cap. They were both eating ice-cream cones, laughing at Hoffman's angry face.<p>

"we said the tables at noon" he sighed  
>"we said the ice-cream van at one" said the old man, nodding at Kate.<br>"Don't lie John." groaned Hoffman  
>"fine" laughed the man. Him and his lady friend sat down, tossing their leftover cones in the trash.<br>"Kate, this is John Kramer and Amanda Young. John, Amanda this is Katelyn Moon."  
>They nodded at each other.<br>"Kate, Amanda and John live with me. So will you when you move in."

John grinned "we hope you'll be happy Living with us Kate"  
>Amanda nodded, removing her leather jacket and kicking off her shoes. She wasn't a particularly GORGEOUS woman. Frown lines outlined her mouth, her hair lay limp around her shoulders and she was flabby in all the wrong places, but she smiled a lot and her eyes were a nice dark colour. Amanda slid off the bench and lay on the grass, as she did John lent across the table and whispered in Kate's ear<br>"and people think I'M the gross one."  
>Kate snorted, despite feeling guilty. Hoffman smirked at them.<p>

The rest of the day went by In a huge rush. After they were all done with the park Hoffman said he'd take Kate to the movies, not knowing Amanda and John would tag along. The 3 of them ran up a huge bill on Hoffman's credit card on snacks alone. Kate was desperate to see BLACK SWAN, practically begging Hoffman. When Kate asked he laughed and said "no". When Amanda asked he raised an eyebrow and said "no Amanda" when John asked he Said "no, and put the toy alien DOWN!"

They had trailed into the movies hoarding chocolates, popcorn, toy aliens and about 3 drinks each. They hadn't been able to win over Hoffman on BLACK SWAN, so they had to settle with PAUL. Kate had to admit, it was pretty awesome, They'd walked out of the movies in fits. On the car ride home Kate and Hoffman had chatted happily, totally oblivious to time or matter.

Now Kate lay on her bed, running her hand over her stuffed gut. She laughed, randomly singing a song from an old movie...  
>"oh the dragons balls were blazin as I stepped into his cave<br>And I sliced his fuckin cockles, with a long and shiny blade  
>tWas I who fucked the dragon fuckalie sing fuckaloo<br>And If you try to fuck with me then I shall fuck you too..."  
>She thought of Amanda. She wasn't so bad when you spent a little time with her. She was a little like the friend with the great personality, only you know how cool they are.<p>

Then there was John, he was in his FIFTYS but he had the emotional age of a teenager, constantly thinking of new things for them to do. He was like the cool grandpa who swears all the time.  
>Kate liked the name too, Kramer.<br>John Kramer  
>K-R-A-M-E-R<br>John.K  
>J.K...<br>J...K  
>Kate's stomach lurched and she began to gag. dashing from her room she made it to the bathroom in time. Gasping for air over the sink, Kate remembered the text:<br>BRING PARTS FOR 2 RBTS  
>J.K<p>

Questions started rising in her mind. What was a RBT? Why was Hoffman so secretive about it? Kate suddenly felt very scared. People didn't keep secrets unless they didn't want people to know something, and by the way Hoffman had yelled she knew it wasn't good.

Was this an overreaction? Probably. Kate knew this was stupid and childish but that text vibration was echoing through her body like some kind of alarm.  
>The food from the evening swirled in her stomach like vile soup. Kate knew she was probably reading too much into it, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong.<br>Sitting on the bathroom floor Kate knew she was in for a long night. 


	5. Sectrets And Lies

5 Fanfic: secrets and lies

I DO NOT OWN SAW

Kate stared at the ceiling in dismay. She'd been sick all night long, lying on the bathroom floor shivering violently. This however was not to do with the text. When Rose had found her in the morning, she hadn't wasted any time in getting a doctor. According to him Kate had caught food poisoning.

Now she lay in her bed, trying to stop the ache in her stomach growing. Rose had left the window open in case Kate felt sick again, but it was having the opposite effect. The cold air shot into Kate's lungs like a bullet, making her shake uncontrollably.

"Kate?"  
>It was Sam. Kate sat up, running a hand through her hair. Sam looked very different in his school uniform. The red striped tie worn short, his shirt untucked and his hair mud-free. Kate smiled.<br>"What's up?" she croaked  
>Sam smirked "Hoffman's here to see you. He wants to see how you are." Kate groaned and sunk back under the covers. Ever since she realised that text was from John she'd been plagued with questions . They were hiding something from her. Something big.<p>

"Hey no hiding!" laughed Sam, pulling the covers from Kate's face "I know he's not much of a looker but we can all stomach it." Kate sighed shakily and shut her eyes  
>"I feel so SICK." it seemed like everything was piling up on her. The text, her dad, the approach of school and now food poisoning. Life had become so complicated in such a short time and it was driving her crazy...<p>

Kate felt a hand Stroke her cheek and she opened her eyes and stared straight into Sam's. For a short moment they lay like this. Two brown eyes meeting two blue ones. Kate noticed now that Sam's eyes were an odd shade of blue. Power blue, like an Easter egg wrapper. Easter eggs...blue shiny Easter eggs... with thick chocolate irises... Katelyn was yanked from her fantasy as a drop of drool hit the mattress. Turning crimson, she looked away. Sam laughed and stood, making sure not to shake the bed.  
>"I'll send Hoffman up."<br>Under the covers, Kate suppressed a smile.

Xxxx  
>Hoffman stood in the kitchen doorway. Never had he felt more out if place. A little blond girl and a red haired boy were messing around with saucepans, placing them on their heads like idiots. The happy cries from the other kids echoed through the halls, ringing in Hoffman's ears. He could see how Kate would fit into such an odd environment. Only one person looked normal, a tall boy with long black hair sat on the counter, reading a thick black book. He must have been about 19, though something about him seemed more mature, aged.<p>

"You can go up, she's awake."  
>Hoffman turned to see the boy who let him in. Something about him annoyed Hoffman. Like that one kid everyone used to rip into at school. Nodding at the boy, Hoffman walked down the hallway. He ran a hand down his shirt, moaning as he felt the girth of his stomach. He blamed John. All the secret keeping, the lies were too much to bear. No wonder he comfort eat.<p>

Kate was sitting up in bed, staring at her lap. She had an odd smile on her lips, as if playing with a thought. Her smile fell and her eyes widened as Hoffman entered, gazing him as he sat on her bed. Hoffman cleared his throat.  
>"Kind of a waste of money wasn't it? Getting you all that food-"<br>"what's an RBT?" Kate interrupted.  
>Hoffman froze, his mind flicked to a million excuses, none of which were suitable. Kate leaned forward in her bed, almost nose to nose with Him.<br>"John Kramer, J.K. The person who sent you the text. Nobody reacts like that unless they're hiding something. You are making something with John, something you didn't want me to know about. This clearly isn't an innocent project. You were panicked. You will tell me what it is or I swear to God I'll call the station and tell them to check your phone"

So that was it. That's why she had looked at him like that.

Hoffman buried his head in his hands. He wanted to tell her what it was. But the truth would have destroyed her, shaken her to the core. So he did what he did most. He lied. Laughter began to course through him, although he didn't know where from. He looked up and into Kate's eyes.  
>"RBT stands for 'Robotic Bomb Terminator'. John works with the bomb squad, the RBT is remote control device used to deactivate bombs without anybody having to get too close. I'm helping him develop it."<p>

Hoffman watched Kate relax and flop forward, her head landing on his shoulder. She moved closer, burrowing into his side.  
>"Thank god" she mumbled "you have NO idea what was going through my head."<br>Hoffman put his arm around her, a dark feeling spreading through his chest. He had done what he needed to, but at what cost? The whole reason that Hoffman was caring for Kate was to protect her. Because her father valued his own sick habits over his daughter. But she was being misled, made a fool of, and it was only a matter of time till she found out. Kate began to snore, and Hoffman gently lay her back down on the bed and crept away.

XXX  
>"what the hell is wrong with you?" asked John, flicking off the TV. Hoffman glanced up from his paperwork, hardly paying attention.<br>"What do you mean?"  
>"I mean" said John, whipping away Hoffman's pen "that you haven't said two words all night! What happened? Did the girl not want to see you? Did she yell? What?<p>

Hoffman sighed and stood. He towered over the old man, but this didn't make him anymore powerful.  
>"I don't Like lying to her." he muttered.<br>John frowned.  
>"She'll find out about us eventually, when she's been living with us a while and we know we can trust her."<br>Hoffman began to bite his lip; he didn't like the thought of Kate being involved in John's business.  
>"Maybe she shouldn't move in." he mumbled "it's not right for her."<p>

John growled "So you'd rather leave her where THEY can get her?"  
>Hoffman stiffened.<br>"Perhaps we should recap." said John. Walking back to the couch, John pulled a red folder from one of the cushions. Sighing he flicked it open.  
>"Name;" John read "Harry moon, crime; the SEXUAL ASSULT and murder of over twelve TEENAGE GIRLS. Forget that part Hoffman? Consequence; putting the life of his teenage daughter at risk, and at no point considering her welfare. "<br>John lay the folder back on the table  
>"we need her here, because if she isn't here then what we did was all for naught. The whole reason we chose Harry was because he had knowingly put Kate in danger, and so we could keep her SAFE."<p>

Hoffman sighed "How long until they stop trying to find her?"  
>John shook his head "Hard to say. People don't take kindly to having their daughters raped. And now that he's dead they're going to want Kate, like some sort of final insult."<br>Hoffman flopped back down on his seat. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed "When will we tell her about them?"  
>John flicked on the TV and sat next to him "If they make another move towards Kate, inform her."<br>Hoffman couldn't help worrying that it might be too late by then. Who knew what they might do next...


	6. Field Trip

6 Fanfic: field trip

i do not own saw  
>"Shower song! It's My SHOWER SONG!" belted Kate. She was in a very good mood, since Hoffman had visited on Wednesday all of her worries had drained away. The RBT was just a harmless police gadget, not some sinister plan. Hoffman was just helping a friend. After that, the sick feeling in her gut had evaporated, and was replaced by crippling hunger. Kate had worked through six bags of crisps, eight chocolate chip cookies and nibbled on prawn crackers after everyone had finished takeout Chinese. She was happy to be free.<br>"It's my SHOWER SONG!" she yelled, turning off the faucet she climbed out of the shower.  
>"IT'S MY WAITING SONG!" sang Sam from the other side of the door "TIS MY WAITING SONG!"<br>Kate chuckled, pulling a stripy red t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Finally she slipped her feet into a pair of red sneakers and opened the door.  
>Sam smiled, flashing the cracked tooth<br>"You look nice"  
>Kate smiled back, happy with Sam's attention.<p>

He'd been the biggest help throughout the whole mess that was the past 3 days. Bringing her comics and CDs while she felt sick, staying up with her all day in case she got lonely. Sam had been in the care home since he was two, after his parents died in a car accident. He spoke really highly of Kai, who taught him all about football and sports. There were only a few years between them but Sam thought of Kai as his own personal grown up.

Sam walked into the bathroom, and Kate went into her room to do her hair. Rose was taking everyone to the MET art gallery for the day, although Kate didn't see the point. She loved art as much of the next person, but she preferred sketches over the blotchy oils that hung there. Kate played around with a few styles, but eventually settled on a high ponytail, delicately crossing a pair of black chopsticks into the hair band.

"Hurry up!" Yelled Kai "we have a long drive!" grabbing her phone, Kate bounded down the stairs to meet the others, closely followed by Sam. David had been persuaded out of his kit, and was wearing jeans and a White shirt. He grinned at Kate's hair.  
>"Trust you to put eating utensils in your hair."<br>Megan winked in their direction, but she was more preoccupied with keeping Harriet still, who had decided to go dressed as tinker bell. Dominic was no better off, insisting on wearing Kai's leather jacket that just happened to swamp him.

"Hey!" yelled Sam, who had been forced into a similar outfit to David "How come they get to wear what they want?"  
>"Because it's still cute when they do it." Kai laughed "now get in the bus."<br>Slowly they all clambered into the minibus, and set off.

Xxxx  
>"So many thoughts that I can't get out of my head, I try to live without you every time I do I feel dead..."<br>Kate's eyes were shut, the cold February air seeping from the open window. She hadn't done this in a while, just lay back, turned on her iPod and zoned out for a while. Everything had just been so hectic. The song ended, and the noise around Kate became clear.

"You OK?" asked Sam, tapping her shoulder. Kate nodded, opening her eyes.  
>Sam stared at her for a second, looking her up and down.<br>"You know, you really do look nice."  
>Kate felt the side of her mouth twitch. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. Sam smiled back, his tooth shining in the sunlight.<br>"We're here!" yelled Rose, pulling up. They were in a large parking Lott, surrounded by people. Harriet stood up on the seat.  
>"Where are the paintings?"<br>"In the met." said Megan, picking up her bag "we have to walk a bit"  
>A collective moan went around the bus<br>"oh relax" laughed Rose "it'll be fine."

Xxx  
>They were TOTALY lost. Kate's sneakers rubbed her feet raw; already she could feel blood oozing from her toes. Harriet and Dominic were bawling their eyes out, no reason in particular but because they were bored. They weren't even properly crying, just making the noise and trying to outdo each other. Kai had his head down as if he'd rather be anywhere else and Rose was looking puzzled over a road map.<p>

Megan seemed to be the only one having fun, striding ahead aimlessly. She dangled her shoes from her hands, laughing at the rest. She'd suggested Kate removed her sneakers but Kate refused, on hot days she'd gladly walk barefoot but in the rain it was just too weird. She groaned, dragging her feet.  
>"My feet are KILLING me!"<br>"just a... A little further" mumbled Rose  
>David bent over, lifting up the crying kids.<br>"STOP. Or I swear I'll LEAVE you in the street!"

They shut up relatively quickly, content with being carried. Kate secretly envied them; she'd lost most of the feeling in her feet now. Her legs wobbled under her.  
>"CAN WE PLEASE GET THERE?"<br>Sam laughed, moving next to her. He had a bit of a shifty look about him. Kate looked up at the sky and sighed...  
>Hands clasped around her waist and her feet left the ground. She heard Sam laughing, bouncing her up and down. Kate began to kick.<br>"GET OFF!"  
>She thrashed out, connecting with everything around her. She saw people exclaiming, edging around them, and dodging her feet.<p>

"SAM PUT HER DOWN!" yelled Kai.  
>Kate felt her feet touch earth again, turning on Sam she began to yell.<br>"WHAT, THE Hell?"  
>Sam laughed again "you said your feet hurt so I thought I'd save you the pain"<br>"well you managed to take out half of new York." groaned Kai. Colour flushed to Kate's face as she saw the young blonde woman on the ground. She bent down, helping her up.  
>"Sorry." she mumbled, biting her lip. In the corner of her eye she could see Kai speaking to Sam very sternly.<br>"it was REALY his fault but..."  
>Kate was shocked to see the woman smile, catching a small glimpse of a tongue stud.<p>

"That's fine, I'm always getting into trouble..." she was looking at Kate very strangely, the sides of her mouth twitching slightly. It gave Kate a strange sense of unease...  
>"Excuse me?" asked Rose, butting in "but can you tell us how to get to the met?"<br>"Can you help us get to the met Coz we ain't there yet!" rapped Dominic. David and Megan chuckled.  
>"M.C Dom at your service" laughed David.<br>"Of course I can" said the woman "I work there."  
>The woman gave Rose directions, pointing the way. Soon they were on the right track, Kate wondered why the woman had stared at her, but pushed the memory back, deciding not to get into it...<p>

XXX  
>The met was huge. Paintings and sculptures filled every nook and cranny, the colour and light filled the air along with the exited voices around them.<br>The first thing anyone did was sit down. Megan was forced back into her shoes and Harriet and Dominic were forced to walk. The group nestled on a small bench, resting their feet whilst the other visitors explored. Kate looked up into the upper gallery to see more people admiring the art and amongst them Kate caught a glimpse of the woman who'd given them directions. Just a glimpse, then it was gone. Once again, Kate put it out of her mind.

After their rest, everyone split up, agreeing to meet up again at four o'clock. Harriet and Dominic went with Rose, David and Megan went off with Sam and Kai. Kate decided to go alone. She preferred it like that in places with lots of people. Slowly, she made her way through the crowd, in the direction of some paintings, although she doubted shed find anything of interest...

Katelyn stared at a picture, trying to make sense of it.

It was a child, sitting cross legged in a field, two tigers arched above him in a wild battle. Deep Patches of blood stained their coats, and oozing from their mouths. It ran from the mouth straight onto the Childs face. Kate heard a man behind her speaking  
>"What retard painted this? Looks disturbed" Kate sighed. This part of the gallery was pretty deserted, these seemed to be the least attractive paintings most of them gruesome scenes. The man behind her left, leaving her alone in this part of the met.<p>

Kate felt a pang if pity for the artists. The artwork of these paintings was exquisite, the reds bright and defined, and the blues deep and smooth. People worked their fingers to the bone to create them, but so many people didn't understand the symbolism, that they were barely given a second glance.  
>Katelyn understood it. She understood the painting. When people fight each other, they completely forget about the welfare of their children. The child's eyes were empty and frightened, staring in horror at the fighting animals. They were scarring him without even touching him.<p>

Kate felt like an idiot, getting all deep and emotional over a painting. She glanced at her watch; 3:55. She should have made her way back, but she just wanted to look a little more. Despite being sceptical, Kate was beginning to enjoy the Met. These paintings were beautiful, despite having few admirers. The sculptures were mostly erotic scenes, the sketches abstract gothic scenes. Kate's eyes wandered to the vibrant grass of the painting. And her heart fell. A plaque read:

"This exhibit will be closed down on the 6th of July due to a lack of interest. All paintings will be returned to their original artists." Kate sighed. She gazed into the painting, her eyes not really settling on anything. She wanted to stay here. In her own little hall of paintings. But the real world was whispering in her ears, slowly pulling her out. A tiny beep sounded from her watch, four o'clock. Rose would start worrying if she didn't go now. But she just wanted to stay, just for a few minutes. Footsteps sounded from the upper gallery, the deep thud of sneakers. Kate sighed and turned to leave. It wasn't worth working everyone up just to stay here. Kate made a mental note to look up the painting online, see if she could find a print. Just as she stepped away from the painting she heard a voice from above.  
>"Go burn in hell with your shit-bag dad"<br>Kate turned sharply, staring around her. Then it started.

The first thing she felt was the wet feeling seeping from her stomach and her head feel lighter. She looked down to see her shirt being engulfed by the blood. It rose in her throat, dripping from her mouth and nose. She stared up to the gallery, but all she saw was a flash of blond hair, then just the sound of the footsteps getting fainter. And then the pain came. It ripped open her stomach, spreading through her body. She fell to the floor, gagging and spitting. In the distance she heard screams, crying and panicking but they were so faint. Her arms were moved but she couldn't feel the hands. She just kept staring at the painting with the tigers. The Blood from the Childs face seemed to expand, out of the frame, covering the frantic faces, until all Katelyn saw was just an endless red mist.

The screams and sounds evaporated, and Katelyn finally lost consciousness.


	7. The Truth Is A Blood Sucking Bitch Whore

7 Fanfic: the truth is a blood sucking bitch whore.

**i do not own saw**

Hoffman's car shot down the road, weaving in and out of traffic; he'd placed the light on top to avoid being stopped. His phone vibrated but he ignored it. Only one thought was going through his head now.  
>He could have stopped it.<br>John and Amanda hadn't thought they'd try anything for at least a month seeing as how the last person they sent in was so easily caught.  
>But that was what Mr Thomson was like. Nobody could anticipate his next move.<p>

Not even bothering to park properly, Hoffman pulled up and dashed into the hospital. He rushed down the hall, occasionally slipping on the polished floor. The emergency room, she had to be there. Or...the morgue...  
>Turning into the A+E, he saw her. Just a glimpse, but enough. She was on a gurney surrounded by doctors and nurses, yelling, shouting out code words and dosages. He felt sick as he saw the amount if blood on their scrubs and the frantic looks on their faces, much more slowly now he approached the gurney and peered around the medics.<p>

Had he not seen her chest moving, Hoffman would have thought he was too late. Her face was drained of colour, her eyeliner smudging circles around her eyes. The gurney began to move down the hall, the doctors were wheeling her away. Hoffman moved forward but was stopped as a hand landed on his shoulder.  
>"Hoffman"<br>He turned to face his boss  
>"Erickson"<br>The greying man frowned at his colleague.  
>"We need a word"<br>Hoffman knew by the tone that he wasn't going to like this conversation.

Xxx  
>Katelyn couldn't feel ANYTHING. Not her arms, her legs, not even her eyelids blinking. She groaned as she saw an IV sticking out of her wrist. Her stomach felt heavy, like a large rock was resting on it.<br>Why was she here?  
>Where was here?<br>What happened?  
>"Kate...Katelyn?"<br>It was Sam; slowly she turned her head to face him. Sam's eyes were bloodshot, his hair tousled and matted. He didn't look like Sam. He looked older and more deflated, more like an old man than a young boy. He ran his hand across her face and sighed heavily.  
>"We almost lost you Kate."<p>

"What happened?" she slurred. Sam seemed to hesitate, staring at her for a bit. Then he spoke.  
>"Somebody tried to kill you"<br>Kate froze in her bed. Her numb hands reached to her stomach. But she couldn't feel anything. Kate began to panic, struggling desperately to feel again. The heart monitor next to her beeped loudly making her jump.  
>"Kate, calm down." said Sam quietly. It was probably the quietest he'd ever spoken to her. He took her hand and began to rub his thumb in circles.<p>

"Feel better?" he asked, still rubbing. Kate smiled lightly as the feeling began to return. Sam's fingers moved all around her arm, as he did Kate racked her brains for any memory of what Sam had told her. She was at the MET. She was looking at the paintings. She'd turned to leave. Footsteps. She remembered them vividly. The sound of sneakers, big sneakers. She'd turned round and-  
>And...<br>Katelyn's heart took a nose dive. Her entire body tensed and the heart monitor raced up again.  
>She remembered. The pain, the blood, everybody screaming at her...<p>

"Kate?" asked Sam "What? Am I hurting you?" his hands shot from hers like they were red hot. Katelyn's eyes stung and tears streamed down her cheeks. Someone had tried to kill her. Somebody has taken the time to buy a GUN, risk being arrested and endangered their own life just to end hers. Was she really that much of a pain? Did people really hate her that much? Sam sat on Kate's bed, being careful not to shake it.

"I'll stop if it's hurting you" he whispered. Katelyn shook her head  
>"Someone wanted me to die." she sobbed. Sam frowned angrily and he cupped Kate's face in his hands.<br>"Listen to me. From what you've told me your only enemies are school kids. Someone made a mistake; they thought you were someone else. They must have."  
>He was just convincing himself. Kate knew they'd meant to kill her. They'd mentioned Harry. They knew her father was dead, they'd meant to shoot her. Someone wanted to see her life to an end...and they'd wanted to end it.<p>

Sam's hand slipped to Kate's, and he gave a gentle squeeze. Craning his neck down he kissed Kate gently on the cheek. Kate didn't know where it came from, but as his lips touched her skin she turned her head so that their mouths met. Sam seemed shocked, pulling back a little, but as their tongues connected the two teenagers melted into each-other. Kate's arms wrapped themselves around Sam's neck, her one numb hand flopping uselessly. Slipping his arms around her Sam Rolled his whole body onto the bed, laying his head on the pillow next to Kate.

Sam hugged Katelyn close, making sure he didn't pull out her IV. The kiss ended but they both still lay there, arms wrapped around each other, falling asleep to the beep of the heart monitor...

XXX  
>Sam left around ten, promising to come the next day. It had been a little embarrassing when Kai picked him up but he'd pretended not to notice they were on the same bed. To be honest Kai hadn't looked like he'd slept much either. Kate stared in her lap at the small parcel he'd left for her; it was from everyone back at the house. It was nicely wrapped, black paper with a gold ribbon. Slowly, she pulled on the end of the strand, as the bow slipped undone the paper unfolded.<p>

Kate broke into a smile. In the midst of gold and black lay a silver necklace with a musical note pendant. Kate lifted in up and fixed it onto her neck. She twisted the pendant in her fingers, watching the lights dance off the note. This felt nice, having a present that wasn't flashy or overpriced. It was subtle, but pretty.  
>"Ahem"<br>Kate's head snapped up. Hoffman stood in the doorway, his hair tousled and his eyes sore. In his hand he clasped a red file. Katelyn gave him a half smile, but he didn't return the favour. Instead Hoffman sat on the end of the bed looking grim.

"I wish I had good news for you Kate" he sighed "but I have to tell you the truth. Your safety depends on it."  
>Kate's fist clamped around the note. The heart monitor sped up slightly.<br>"We know who tried to kill you." Hoffman said "And why."  
>Kate began to chew her lips.<br>"I assume you are familiar with the Thompson family?"  
>Katelyn nodded. The Thompson family was famous in New York. The father, whose name Kate didn't know ran a large motor business and was rich as hell. The family was huge, not one town in New York was without a Thompson. And they weren't just big, they were powerful. Kate had once gone to school with a Jamie Thompson, he didn't turn up for a class all semester and yet he got straight A's. When the teacher raised a point about it he was in hospital the next day with a shattered leg.<p>

"Well, the man who broke into your house was fingerprinted as Max Thompson, and we -" began Hoffman  
>"I don't think those are good grounds to assume his family wants me dead." interrupted Kate "just because a member of his family broke in. Why would the Thompson's want to kill me?"<br>Hoffman looked away and closed his eyes.  
>"I didn't ever want to show you this."<br>He put the red file on Katelyn's lap. Slowly, she emptied the contents onto the bed. The first thing she saw was a thick wad of papers;

Name: Harry Moon  
>Date of Birth: 16/84  
>Immediate family:<br>Lilly Moon (wife) (diciest)  
>Katelyn Moon (daughter)<br>Offence: the rape and murder of:  
>Harriet Daily<br>Jenny Olson  
>Lucy Thompson<br>Madeline Thompson  
>Bernadette Thompson...<p>

The list went on and on, page after page. Kate saw almost every name she knew of, even a few girls from her school. Tears streamed from her eyes and she pressed her lips into a straight line. With shaking hands Kate set the papers back onto the bed. She looked up into Hoffman's sympathetic face.  
>"Why didn't you ever arrest him?"<br>"We didn't know it was him... until..."  
>Hoffman picked up something from the pile that had fallen from the folder. A small evidence bag. Inside was a small bloodstained photo, lying limp at the bottom. Kate didn't need to look twice, to know it was of her.<p>

"By the time we had discovered it was Harry he was already murdered."  
>Kate nodded silently.<br>"We believe, no, we KNOW that the Thompson's were planning to Get revenge, and with him dead they have decided to get it on you instead. They're a very ruthless family"  
>Kate nodded again.<br>"We haven't been able to arrest anyone though."  
>Her eyes snapped to Hoffman.<br>"We can't PROVE it. The evidence we have is that your father raped a number of the women and one of the men broke into your home, but NONE of that is enough to attach them to the assault. Their head of the family, Joseph is a crafty man. He bribes juries, kills witnesses. This isn't the first time he's done something like this. And often it's much worse."  
>Kate looked at him, her tears subsiding.<p>

"So, let me get this straight" she shivered "my dad...Raped all of these women, the police didn't know yet, s-so they couldn't stop him, and by the time they did he was...dead. And now these people are after me, b-because he raped his daughters and they can't kill him so they want to k-kill ME?"  
>The heart monitor was racing; Katelyn was shivering hard, her hands clasped into tight fists. This was way too much to take.<br>"Calm down." whispered Hoffman  
>Katelyn took a long shaky breath, and looked to Hoffman<br>"So what now?" she moaned.

"Well" Hoffman sighed "we have decided that I won't be able to foster you until the Thompson family has been stopped. However, you will be put under police protection until then, I will be accompanying you everywhere until Joseph is behind bars"  
>Kate nodded.<br>"You can cry now" Hoffman whispered  
>And she did.<p> 


	8. Hoffman's Conflicting Worlds

8 Fanfic: Hoffman's obligation

i do not own saw

"right" growled John, pacing the room "first, you allow Joseph Thompson to make a move on her life, then you tell her about her father without letting me know first?"  
>Hoffman slumped on the couch, glaring into John's wrinkled face; Amanda sat next to him basking in his humiliation.<br>Hoffman sighed "Ok, for starters I didn't allow Joseph to do anything. None of us suspected that he would send someone in, at such a public place, not even you. And after that how could we NOT tell her? Erickson forced me to no matter what I wanted. And besides, you _told_me to tell her."

John flopped into an armchair and rested his head in his hands.  
>"I know. It's all just too soon. I wanted to gain more of her trust before she knew." He raised his to Hoffman "And you should know by now that when I say to do something, you ALWAYS ask right before even if I've already given consent"<br>"Well" sighed Hoffman "she didn't hold it against me that I knew. And now I have to constantly be with her, meaning that we can protect her further, until she lives with us."  
>John nodded.<p>

"Question time." said Amanda "why do we need to protect her again?"  
>Hoffman rolled his eyes<br>"because it's OUR fault she's in this mess"  
>"how's that?"<br>John stood up, frustrated at Amanda's ignorance  
>"because, had we not intervened Harry would've been caught, the Thompson's would have been able to press charges and this stupid revenge scheme wouldn't be happening. But instead Harry is dead and justice wasn't done. The Thompson's family is still angry driving them to feeble assassination attempts; can you get that through your THICK skull Amanda?"<p>

There was a long silence, John stood above Amanda, glaring at her. Amanda shuffled around on the couch. Eventually the silence got too much and Hoffman broke in with.  
>"Anybody want a cookie?"<br>By the glare they shot, Hoffman thought better to skip cookie night..."

Xxx  
>Kate's hospital room was packed. Harriet and Dominic were playing with the gas and air bottle, squeaking at its effects. David and Megan perched on the end of the bed, scanning the chart to see when Kate's surgery was (they were operating to repair her stomach after the bullet punctured it.) Kai stood in the corner reading a medical journal, and Sam lay in the bed while Kate sat on his lap.<p>

"so how's the food?" asked David, laying down the chart "jello and fish sticks or caviar and Gateau?"  
>"Neither" Kate laughed "it's all liquidated crap till after the surgery. And even then it'll be the same for weeks."<br>Kai looked up from the book, keeping a stern eye on Harriet and Dominic.  
>"When IS the surgery?"<br>"tomorrow." sighed Kate, running a finger along her necklace "about three PM"  
>"we'll all be here" reassured Megan, giving Kate's toe a squeeze "Just in case there are any spare parts going"<p>

"I call the boobs!" yelled David, thrusting his hand in the air. Sam raised an eyebrow.  
>"She is MY girlfriend so I have automatic boob dibs."<br>"Halves?" asked David, winking. Kai thrust the book down and glared at him.  
>"And with that we're leaving."<br>"Oh come on!" whined Megan, flicking at Kate's toe "we haven't even seen the stitches!"  
>"NOW!" yelled Kai. Harriet and Dominic stopped playing with the gas and air immediately, shocked by the shouting.<br>Slowly they shuffled out, closely followed by awkward looking David.

Megan stood up, scowling.  
>"Why ruin it?" she stormed out, stopping to give Kate and Sam a brief wave. Kai followed her, not bothering to take Sam or even say goodbye. Kate tilted her head upwards to face Sam.<br>"What was that all about?"  
>Sam sighed heavily<br>"Kai's a little testy right now. His father is having a retrial. If it goes well his sentence could be shortened. He could be out by next year."  
>"Why is he having a retrial?"<br>"he was drunk and hopped up on crystal meth"  
>"I thought intoxication had no effect on a man's trial. Murder is murder right?"<p>

"Good lawyer, tons of cash whatever. Either way it looks like this retrial will be one sided. Kai's pretty shaken up about it; his dad wasn't a very good guy. To him or his mom."  
>Kate sat back against Sam's chest. As he ran a hand through her hair Kate thought about HER mom. She had killed herself when Kate was only three, so she didn't remember her that well. She knew she was called Lilly, she had been mentally unstable, and had needed medication to keep from harming anyone or herself.<br>Kate couldn't even remember what she had looked like; she had only seen her about 4 times after the divorce until her dad had taken full custody. Then her mom was dead and that was that.

Harry had said it was a good thing. Apparently Lilly had come off her meds the last time she had had Kate, and gone on a nervous rampage. Harry had come to collect Kate finding her hunched up in the washing machine after Lilly shoved her in there, pushing a heavy stool against the door to stop her escaping. Lilly was later found in the basement passed out in an armchair. After that Harry had taken full custody.  
>At least that's what he'd said, but how could Kate be sure of anything that her Father had told her? For all Kate knew her mother could still be alive, or Harry could've raped her. At that thought a thousand different possibilities rushed through her head. Ever since Hoffman had told her what her father was guilty of it had been difficult to remember anything about her past without coming up with a dozen different conspiracies.<p>

"Kate? Kate? Calm down." panicked Sam. The heart monitor was racing, the beeps ringing in Kate's ears. A nurse poked her head round the door.  
>"Are you alright love?"<br>"She's fine" said Sam, waving a hand to dismiss the nurse. When she had left Sam whispered in Kate's ear  
>"what's wrong?"<br>Kate gave a shaky sigh.  
>"Um, I think you need to know something. About who put me here"...<p>

Xxx  
>Once again, Sam left promising to visit the next day. He had been surprisingly calm as Kate explained Harry's crimes, occasionally butting in to recap. When she was done, he gripped her hand hard and promised not to say a word to anyone. After that they'd moved on to lighter topics, Kate was due to start school next month, after she'd had time to recover from the surgery. Sam and David were two years above her (as they were both 17) and Kate and Megan were in the same year, sharing history, music, English and Drama.<p>

Rose had already come over to measure her for the uniform, accompanied by a large blue teddy bear. Kate wasn't really that girly, but teddies were a special soft spot. Reaching over to the bedside table she pulled the large blue bear onto the bed. Kate buried her nose in the fuzz and breathed in that new bear smell.  
>"Ahem."<br>Hoffman stepped in, raising a sceptical eyebrow at the bear. Cringing Kate pushed the bear to one side and folded her arms. Kate was no person to shoot the messenger but she wasn't exactly warming to Hoffman since he told her about her dad.  
>"May I sit down?" he asked, edging closer nervously. Kate shrugged, not looking at him.<p>

Hoffman seemed to take this as a yes, sitting precariously on the edge of the bed. Flicking a glance, Kate noticed a large long box propped against the doorframe. She ignored it. Kate knew it wasn't Hoffman's fault about her dad but thinking about Hoffman knowing before her drove Kate crazy.  
>"I've bought you something." he muttered.<br>"That's nice" Kate replied, she intended to sound sharp but it came out as a feeble sigh.  
>Hoffman put a Hand on Kate's Ankle.<br>"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before. But I promise if it was up to me I would have said the first time I met you."

Kate nodded.  
>"So... me John and Amanda are coming tomorrow for the surgery." continued Hoffman<br>"do they know about Harry?" Kate asked.  
>Hoffman nodded "but you are still welcome to move in once this whole business is over."<br>Kate sighed and lay her head back on the pillow. It was like there were three Katelyn's. One messed around with Sam on the couch, played baseball with David, rode bikes with Megan and played Mario cart with Harriet and Dominic. The second went to the movies, stayed out late and pigged out on junk food with Amanda John and Hoffman.

During the day these two Kate's lived in sync, taking turns depending on situation. It was easy. But at moments like this, where it was all quiet and all Kate had was her thoughts, then came the third. This Kate was scared. Alone, panicking. At times like this all the bad things that were happening caught up with her. And the third Katelyn Moon would lay there, shaking and shivering, waiting for the quiet to end. Kate knew it sounded philosophical and dumb but it was true. When nothing was distracting her from reality a huge pain took over, pulling her apart.

"Kate?"  
>She turned to face Hoffman, thankful that the quiet was over. Hoffman looked worried, leaning over her and scanning her face. When he spoke next his voice was slow.<br>"Kate? Kate can you hear me? Are you OK?"  
>Kate wasn't really sure, colour and light swirled in front of her eyes pulling Hoffman's face to distortion. She knew she should've said something but no words came to mind. Hoffman moved from sight, and a high noise began to ring in her head. Kate moaned, trying to move her arms to cover her ears.<p>

More people were coming in, pushing away the one familiar face. All the colours mixed together, consuming each other. Kate felt sick and panicked, pain shooting through her body, hands gripped her arm and she began to feel numb. She was sinking, lower and lower underground into the darkness...


	9. Pieces Come Together

9 Fanfic: the pieces come together

I DO NOT OWN SAW!

Sam sat in the waiting room glaring into the face of the chubby policeman, livid. Slowly he seethed.  
>"What happened? Why is she being taken into surgery now?"<br>The officer took a painfully long time answering, running a hand through his greasy hair. Sam's fists clenched.  
>"From what the doctors have said, I can tell you this. This whole thing goes balls deep. All the doctors and nurses are under police watch until we find out who is responsible."<br>"You still haven't answered my question." Sam growled. They had all showed up at 3, ready to see Kate in and out of surgery only to find she was already gone, and half the police force littering the hospital. Rose and the others had left, after being convinced Kate would pull through, and that it was just a complication.

However, Sam has stayed. He wasn't letting that officer be the first one to see her. He'd had a run in with him a few years ago, and he didn't like him.  
>The officer sighed heavily, his jowls shaking unattractively.<br>"It seems that whoever did Kate's stitches, put in something extra. A slow acting poison that is designed to shut down the body bit by bit. Thankfully we've caught it early, so the chances are she'll make a total recovery. However it's caused a few complications in her bullet wound, and they feel it's very risky to leave it. Her stomach needs fixing now"

The officer turned away to talk to a nurse. Growling Sam stood, deciding to distract himself with the thing he loved most; food. Sam walked down the hospital halls, following the painted yellow stripe. As he walked he saw some strange things. He saw young babies, old people, people that were just in for a cold and those that were fighting for their lives. He saw the obese and the anorexic, the abused and the abusive. It made him wonder if there was any good in the world anymore. Sam was nearing the cafeteria now; he could smell meat and hear the loud voices of the people in charge. His stomach growled at him. He truly couldn't remember when he last ate. Sam paused at the pair of white doors, his hand hovering in midair. Should he really be thinking about food right now? Katelyn's surgery was just down the hall. He wanted to see her, to look through the glass at her. Sam had a thick sinking feeling in his chest. She was fighting for her life. Maybe even dying...

Sam was so caught up in thought that he didn't register the noise on the other side of the door. He didn't notice the dark figure behind it. Sam didn't realise anyone was there until the door smacked him in the face and he was trying to stem the blood dripping from his nose. The person who had opened the door was gasping apologies, clinging to the wall as if it was all that was keeping her up. Sam wasn't angry. He was more annoyed. Nothing really seemed to work for him recently. Nothing at all. He stood to face the doctor... and was struck dumb.

It was the woman. The one who Kate had knocked over in the street, she'd given them directions for the MET. She looked a little different, her hair was dyed a different colour, and she was wearing scrubs but Sam recognised her face. He beamed, glad to see someone he recognised.  
>"Hey, I know you" he chuckled (just in case she didn't recognise HIM)<br>the woman looked at Sam for a long time, her mouth moving but no words coming out. Eventually her head snapped straight and she stormed down the hall, her new hair flicking in the wind.  
>Sam was confused, irritated and more than a little hurt. He had wanted at least for her to say something back. Common courtesy wasn't it?<br>But Sam decided to shrug this off. He had bigger stuff on his mind, and wiping the last of the blood from his nose he entered the cafeteria.

XXX  
>Kate was stuck in a memory, she knew this immediately. She was much smaller, it was harder to walk with her stubby legs and her hair didn't bounce down her back anymore. Instead it flicked at her shoulders irritably.<br>She knew this memory well. When she was little Harry took her to the park regularly, always making sure they visited at least twice a fortnight. This was one of the few visits Kate remembered. Any minute now a big pit bull would run up, knocking her backwards off the gravel path. She would cut her arm open and it would scar.

Kate had already spotted the huge dog, its lead being held by a pubescent boy who seemed far more interested in the zit on his nose than anything else. She could hear her dad laughing somewhere and felt an angry tug. The very sound of his voice made Kate feel sick with hate. She imagined those poor girls lying on Harry's bed, screaming and bleeding as he ended their lives. Out of her own control Kate's stubby legs began to walk, she was used to this. In her dreams she often spoke and moved out of her own control.

Kate felt the gravel enter her tiny shoes, but there was no sensation. Another dream feature, feeling but no real sense. Kate almost grinned, had it not been for her perverted father chuckling in the background this might have been a lovely picture. The clouds moved away from the sun, and a bright ray of light filled the park. It was a perfect moment, until she remembered the dog. She turned to see the boy drop the lead, blinded by the sun and the huge pit bull tear off in her direction. In seconds Kate could see the whites of his eyes. Then she could hear his panting. Then smell his breath as the beast threw all his weight at her.

She actually caught air as a numb sensation spread through her arm. She expected the memory to continue, to land heavily on the ground with blood staining her top. But instead Katelyn landed a fully grown teenager, still wrapped in her ACDC T-shirt. She was in a different dream now, strapped down to the same hard table as last time. The same cold shackles digging into her wrists and throat, choking her.

Kate heard a swish as something flew by. She turned but saw nothing. It swished again, but still it avoided her line of vision. It was only when she glanced up and caught her own reflection that she saw it. A huge sterling blade swinging across the table. In the metal Kate saw her own terrified reflection. It dropped lower, making her jolt. A dark laughter filled the room Which Kate recognised as Hoffman's. Then it was joined by Harry's, then Sam's, Megan's, David's even Harriet and Dominic's. They filled Katelyn's head until she felt like it would burst. She screamed as the noise shot in her ears making them ring. She felt dampness on her ears as blood leaked from them, they laughed harder, louder at the blood pouring onto the ground, and as the blade dropped lower it slashed her open. She was losing control, everything was rushing by and it was agony.  
>She was dying, screaming. And yet still the voices rang...<p>

And she woke up in the hospital, sweaty and achy, gasping for air. She grabbed round desperately for Sam, he had promised he would be there...nothing. she felt to comforting arms, she heard no soothing tone and when she reached out for a hand all she could grasp were the thin sheets.  
>And then she realised. She was all alone.<p>

XXX  
>Sam sat in the cafeteria, staring into space. Hoffman sat next to him stirring soup absent-mindedly. Neither of them spoke, both had things on their minds. Every now and then Sam thought he heard Hoffman say something but he never concentrated hard enough to understand. He just couldn't get that doctor off his mind. The way she had stormed off, so hard and cold compared to when he'd last seen her. And why would she dye her hair? The black was a horrible contrast to her face and made her look exhausted, and with the bright pink scrubs she looked like a pimple. She hadn't acted like a doctor at all, not checking that he was ok or even looking at the blood.<p>

Something was niggling at the back of Sam's head. Something about her wasn't right. Like she wasn't supposed to be there. It was wrong. Sam thought back to when he'd seen her first. He'd been trying to shut Kate up, and she'd kicked the woman over. Was that why she was so pissed? Because Kate kicked her? No. She was willing to give them directions to the met.  
>"Excuse me? But can you tell us how to get to the met?"<br>Rose's voice echoed through Sam's ears. Sam remembered exactly. Rose was the one who really spoke to her and she had been perfectly civil. So had the woman for that matter.  
>"Of course I can, I work there."<br>She was completely friendly and nice. Why would her attitude suddenly change?

As a doctor Sam would have thought she'd at least...  
>Doctor.<br>DOCTOR?  
>"Of course I can. Work there."<br>Sam stood abruptly, capsizing the table. Hot soup splashed onto Sam's jeans, stinging hard.  
>"What the hell Sam!" screamed Hoffman pulling at his stained shirt. Sam didn't notice any of this; his brain was already putting the pieces together. She was there on the day. She knew they were going to be there. Sam remembered she carried a backpack, unusually big for such a small frame. Anything could have been inside.<p>

She was friendly, even though she was knocked flying, but now she had become hard as stone. And she'd changed her appearance. She'd also lied about where she worked. Why? Sam felt panicked; this was all too much to be a coincidence.  
>"Sam?" Hoffman sighed; giving up on removing the stain "what's wrong"<br>Sam looked up at him, struggling to meet his gaze.  
>"Take me to the main office"<br>"why?" Hoffman was worried too now, staring down at Sam's terrified face.  
>"Just show me where it is."<br>Hoffman nodded, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. Slowly they left the cafeteria and made their way to the main office.

Sam, although now terrified knew what he was doing. He remembered the name on the woman's tag. Kirsty Smith. Sam was aware this might all be a coincidence, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong for her to be there. It was all too coincidental to be a coincidence. The woman at the main desk smiled at them as they approached. She was in her late fifties, with bleached blond hair. By the wrinkles around her mouth Sam could tell she smiled a lot. Sam leant over the desk at her.  
>"Do you know if a doctor Kirsty Smith works here?" he murmured. Hoffman raised an eyebrow but said nothing.<br>The woman's fingers flashed across the keyboard; looking up at Sam she shook her head.  
>"Nobody by that name works here"<p>

Sam's heart dropped. He was right. Sam stared up at Hoffman, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.  
>"I know who poisoned Kate."<p> 


	10. Chase Scenes In Hospitals Are Fun Pool

10 Fanfic: chase scenes in hospitals are fun, erections in pools however, are not.

Sam and Hoffman walked calmly through the halls of the hospital, as were the other 12 policemen. As far as the woman knew she was incognito, and it was best to keep it that way to avoid any risk to the patients. Each officer had been given a description of her, and had been given the order that they should get her as quickly and silently as possible. That is, thought Sam if she isn't already gone. As they walked past Kate's room, Sam couldn't help but peek through the window. She was sitting up, pressing her hand against her forehead as if trying to keep all of her thoughts in. Sam looked up at Hoffman hopefully, but he shook his head.  
>"Nobody can see her until we have the woman."<p>

Sam continued to walk, keeping his head down. He had broken his promise. But if it was for a better cause, wasn't it worth it? He sighed heavily. Thoughts were clogging up his head like a drain, the only relief would be to find this woman and straighten things out. But in a 5 floor hospital with over 150 doctors and nurses it seemed almost impossible. Flicking a glance up at Hoffman Sam wondered what was going through his head. Was he as concerned? Did he care as much?  
>"You look depressed." said Hoffman as they passed the cafeteria. Sam snorted.<p>

"I recently began a relationship with an amazing girl, I've spent next to no time with her, she's just had major surgery and I'm not there to see her like I promised, oh and here's the clincher, people keep trying to kill her. I'm not depressed, god just hates me."  
>Hoffman chuckled, his hair flipping around. Sam felt slightly irritated. Mere hours ago Sam hated this man's guts and now they were talking like old friends. It was fun, but VERY annoying.<p>

Hoffman tutted  
>"I feel bad for depressed people. Stuck in a rut, unable to escape the pain. Another reason life should have instructions"<br>"Actually, all we need is a manual for depression because it would probably tell you how to deal with it too." Sam corrected. He had absolutely NO idea how they got onto this subject but it was interesting.  
>"Depression for dummies?" asked Hoffman<br>"I don't think calling them dummies is going to help."  
>They laughed and turned a corner, heading towards the maternity ward...<p>

XXX  
>Katelyn had no idea where Sam was. Nor did she know what was happening just outside her door, or why her stomach was so numb. It'd taken her over an hour to recover from the anaesthetics, and she'd spent half that time trying to sit up. However, Kate had at least one thing to comfort her.<p>

The box that Hoffman had left sat across Kate's lap, pushing her deeper into the mattress. It was very long, almost taking up the whole room. Katelyn's fingers tingled with eagerness. Kate slipped her finger lightly under the red bow on the Box, anticipation building up inside of her like a soda can. The tag said it was for her, but something about the sheer volume of it made Kate want to savour the moment. But the excitement was too much, and soon Kate found herself tearing away the ribbon like it was nothing. Gently, she lifted the lid of the box.

Kate's throat seemed to shrink as tears filled her eyes. Any other time she would have blamed it on anaesthetics, or panic over her unexplained loss of consciousness but right now, she couldn't care less.  
>A guitar. Electric. The body was a bright power blue and shone under the florescent lights. The fret board was a rich brown, and had Katelyn engraved in white on the 7th fret and again on the body. Silver volume dials and whammy bar made Kate's fingers itch to play. Hoffman had even taken detail with the spiral of strings, tying a dark blue choker around them. Kate delicately untied it to get a better look.<p>

There was a silver K embroidered on the fabric, and as Kate gently fastened it, she felt how soft it was. She smiled, despite the confusion, and set about attaching the strings.

XXX

"Any sign?" asked Sam, undoing his top button. The maternity ward was hot and uncomfortable, and the stench of tomato soup on his jeans was making him queasy, Sam was fast beginning to hate this search. Hoffman sighed, removing his jacket. He looked just as uncomfortable, pit stains yellowing his White top. Sam stared at Hoffman for a long moment, biting his lip. Was this a mistake? He had always hated officers, ever since his parents died. Now he felt like he was having double standards...

"SAM" Hoffman whispered, pointing to the end of the corridor. Sam stiffened.  
>It was her.<br>She was pulling along her backpack, which was big and bulky. She looked intense as heaved it onto her back, grunting with effort. Slowly Sam and Hoffman approached her.  
>"Miss?" asked Hoffman, placing a hand on her back. She looked up, confused. Swinging the bag from her back she stood straight to look Hoffman in the eyes.<p>

"Is there a problem?" she grunted, scowling at Sam. He scowled back, glaring into her hateful eyes. He didn't get how someone that cruel could pass for a nurse.  
>"You will have to come with me. We have some questions" continued Hoffman, standing over her. He looked so powerful, so alert. It was odd how much his expression had altered. Hoffman was now fierce, angry, determined. The woman seemed to shrink underneath him.<p>

She was frozen, one hand tightly gripping her bag, the other clenched in a fist. Her eyes darted to Sam's, holding his gaze for a split second, analysing his face. He hated her for it. For her NERVE. All he could think was give up.

Give up NOW.

But she didn't. One second. That's how long it took a small black device to drop from her sleeve. A tazer.  
>Hoffman screamed in pain as she shoved it into his crotch, doubling over in agony. Flashing a smile, she darted down the hall, leaving them in the corridor.<p>

Sam looked at Hoffman. Then at the pink blob moving out of sight. And darted down the hall after her.

She was light on her feet, bouncing in and out of the crowds of doctors and nurses. At first they fell away like frightened deer, but when people began to notice Sam's pursuit they cleared their path completely, hiding in the patient's rooms or nursing stations until the bedlam was over. Sam was sweating, his shirt damp and his hair no longer needing the gel. He was pushing to keep up with the nimble imposter, who seemed to be immune to fatigue. She tore ahead, hopping over gurneys and counters like a horse leaving Sam to stumble and fall.

But he was persistent, making sure to stay within sight of her. He would NOT Loose this time, he wasn't going to let her hurt anyone else...  
>Sam's thought was interrupted as a dead weight was thrown against him. Flying backwards he caught a glimpse of the woman's sneer, and heard her laugh rip through his ears. As Sam hit the ground pain exploded through his head, and he found his vision momentarily blurred. He looked up and found that the woman had thrown a stray gurney in his direction. Throwing the metal object off him, Sam stood to face her.<p>

Sam was dizzy though, and stumbled against the wall. She laughed, and Sam felt himself cringing against the shrill sound. The woman was standing casually; hand on her hip chest pushed forward. Sam could see why. Even in the blurred daze Sam could tell the halls were deserted. All the doctors and nurses barricaded in the rooms, either protecting the patients or themselves. No police to be found either, probably trying to bring Hoffman round.

"Looks like it's just you and me" Sam slurred. He wanted to sound tough but simply sounded sad. The woman laughed again, cackling hard.  
>"I don't need to outrun YOU...but still"<br>She tore off again, rounding a corner out of sight, and in moments Sam was following. It was on again. Only now the woman had an advantage; her head wasn't _bleeding_. Sam pushed hard, but still tripped more often than not. All the woman had to do was upturn a table or two to slow him down. And as they turned towards the physiotherapy department Sam was giving up. The woman was barely running anymore, she was jogging along enjoying Sam's humiliation.

"You know." said the woman, stopping.  
>Sam slumped against the wall again, gripping his head. He glared at her angrily.<br>"WHAT?"  
>She grinned and stepped forward.<br>"You have no means to hold me even if you do get me."  
>Sam growled "I don't intend to hold you, I intend to kill you."<br>She raised her eyebrows, and looked Sam up and down. She sighed; the first human thing Sam had seen her do.

"Look kid. It's nothing personal. But I have an obligation to my family. And even though Harry isn't alive, that doesn't mean the humiliation he caused my family is gone. Your little girlfriend is going to die because that will be the final insult. She has to die to avenge my sisters. Like I said nothing personal."  
>As the blood drained from his face, Sam's vision steadied, and he saw clearly. Sam stood up straight and stared into the eyes of the woman.<br>"Taking revenge against a kid who didn't even know what was happening. Do you really think that's right?"

She froze, staring for a long time. For a split second Sam saw fear in her eyes. A scared little kid in a lot of trouble...  
>And then she was gone, once again up the hallway. And once again, Sam followed. But with a second wind. He'd had a rest, his head seemed to have stopped bleeding and he had found a weakness in the woman he was hunting. She was just as weak as him. He streaked after her, now equal in speed. He was hot on her heels, and she was panicking. Desperately the woman turned a corner through a pair of double doors marked 'therapy pool'.<p>

The air in the room stank of chlorine and steam. The water sparkled in the middle, reflecting onto the ceiling. Through the windows Sam could see how dark it had become. The woman backed away, stopping on the edge of the pool. Sam approached her slowly.  
>"Come on. You'll be caught anyway."<br>Water splashed everywhere as the woman entered the pool. Slowly she began splashing through the water. Sam growled and dove in after her...  
>And then realised what a mistake he had made.<p>

Sam gripped the edge of the pool desperately, his heart pounding. Staring across the water he saw the woman reaching the other side. He WISHED he could follow her, catch her and put her away. But he just COULDN'T. He cringed as millions of horrible memories filled his head. Sirens. Screaming. His parent's emotionless faces as their car sank lower into the water...  
>Sam couldn't swim.<br>It wasn't because he'd never been taught, or even because that's how his parents died.

He was afraid of the water, and it was the most pathetic thing about him. He hated how the water got in his ears, how it splashed against his skin and his hair. Why, _why _didn't he just go around? The woman was reaching the end, she was getting away. Sam gave a pitiful whimper as the water lapped at his neck. It was humiliating.  
>He could've walked across, but what good would it have done? She'd have been long gone by the time he reached the other side. It was awful. All that chasing and yet the second he was in the water he was useless...<p>

But as the woman left the pool, the horror of the water wasn't the problem anymore. She was dripping wet, her shirt see through, and...  
>Colour filled Sam's cheeks. And under the dreaded water his knees buckled. Lately the only thing on Sam's mind when THIS happened was Kate. And it was usually voluntary. It was almost as embarrassing as the water. Sam had no attraction to her, she was repulsive but well... It was... happening. The woman turned, confused by Sam's total standstill. She dropped her eyes to the water...<p>

A cruel smiled curled across her lips. Sam knew the scared girl he'd seen earlier was gone.  
>"Bless" she laughed, turning to leave. She bent over to get her damp bag, taking way more time than necessary. Sam's legs buckled harder, his cheeks burning.<br>And with that, the woman disappeared.  
>Just as the entire police force came bursting in.<p>

XXX  
>"its midnight" said Hoffman absentmindedly. Sam had refused to exit the water, and after hours of doctors pleads (and some jeering from the officers) Hoffman (who was also embarrassed) was the only one left, sitting cross legged at the edge of the pool holding an ice pack to his crotch.<br>"You know" he continued "they say if it continues for over 4 hours you should consult a physician"  
>Sam sighed.<br>"actually, that disappeared around 10"  
>"really?" asked Hoffman<br>"yep, you're aware this pool is totally freezing right?"  
>"Ah. So why don't you get out?"<p>

Sam cringed against the water.  
>"I can't"<br>Such an understatement. After the shameful erection had passed, the fear of the water had taken hold, and without the distraction of a chase, Sam was more terrified than ever.  
>"Sam" whispered Hoffman, craning down "you can't swim can you?"<br>Sam managed to shake his head, shivering as the water swished against him.  
>"It freaks you out?"<br>Sam nodded. Then yelled. Hoffman was standing, gripping the soaking teen under the arms. Gently he plonked him on the floor.  
>"HEY!" he cried, shivering. Hoffman didn't respond but instead grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around Sam's frozen shoulders and sat down again in front of him.<br>Comforted by the warm towel and escape from the water, Sam stared into Hoffman's face.  
>"Your parents." Whispered Hoffman "you haven't touched the water since."<br>Sam looked away, angry with Hoffman for bringing up the past. Hoffman continued.  
>"They crashed the car into a river with you inside. They drowned, and you were trapped underwater. You were dragged out crying and were traumatised."<br>"Shut up"  
>"and, now that I come to remember it, I was actually on that case... In fact I think I was the one who interviewed you... Yes. Yes you were. Hm, so that's why things have been so frosty..."<br>"SHUT UP HOFFMAN."  
>Sam was shaking violently, gripping the towel. Hoffman landed his giant bear like hand on his shoulder.<p>

"It's ok. I remember how shaken you were. I can understand how that would have affected you."  
>Sam nodded. And a huge smile spread across Hoffman's face.<br>"Well, it's time we make it un-affect you"  
>"what?"<br>"I am going to teach you to swim."  
>Sam's eyes widened.<br>"NO"  
>"yes." said Hoffman calmly "I'm off duty next Saturday, provided Kate doesn't have plans so have your trunks ready."<br>"But-"  
>"no buts. Now, I recon Kate's still up so I'd go explain this whole mess if I were you"<p>

And with that he was up and out, leaving Sam alone in the pool room.  
>Sam looked at the water and bit his lip. Standing, Sam left to see Kate. He had missed her, and he hoped she would take his mind off Hoffman and the water. But in the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't escape Hoffman's plans... <p>


	11. Changes

11 Fanfic: the return

the kitchen table clattered across the room. Amanda looked up, her spoonful of soup hovering over the space where her bowl was. John stood in the centre of the room, gasping for air glaring at a tense Hoffman.  
>"You're giving him SWIMMING LESSONS?"<br>Hoffman nodded, keeping his eyes on the floor. He hadn't been sure whether or not to tell John, but after hours of wondering he had finally cracked.  
>"I thought it was a good idea..." he mumbled.<br>John took a threatening step forward, glaring into his partner's eyes.

"You've gone soft Hoffman. I went along with your plan because I hoped you would clear your conscience and then forget all this moving in nonsense. Plus you held a good point about stopping an unnecessary death. But I assumed you'd come to your senses sooner. I thought you'd break it off. The kid would feel abandoned and never contact you again. Life goes on. But you've gotten too involved. Getting her presents and giving swimming lessons to annoying boyfriends? I told you when we started, not to get too attached."  
>Hoffman looked into John's wrinkly old face.<br>"It's my fault things have gone bad for her. I pressured you two into targeting Harry, and at the same time neglected my police work. Had I not she wouldn't be in any danger. And then... I saw her in the hospital and she looked so unhappy. She was-"

"like you were after YOU lost someone."  
>Amanda flung her lonely spoon into the sink and set about wiping up the soup that had been knocked over<br>"You see a lot of yourself in her." she continued "that's why you want to protect her. Because nobody was there to comfort or care for you after your sister was killed."  
>Hoffman ducked his head, ashamed that Amanda had figured him out so easily. John sighed.<br>"Ok. I think you are being completely ludicrous, but ok. She can live with us. Once we have her trust she can know. But, Mark. When we tell Katelyn Moon our secret, she will be trapped with us forever. She can't move away, she can't go back to the home, no marriage, no children, nothing."

And with that he was out. Hoffman looked at Amanda. Amanda looked at Hoffman. Hoffman slumped on the couch, Amanda slumped next to him.  
>"What have I done?" he asked "I've killed her. I've KILLED her Amanda."<br>Amanda slapped her hand on Hoffman's shoulder.  
>"Will talking help?"<br>"No" he sighed  
>There was a long silence.<br>"Will gorging on cookies help?" she asked  
>Hofmann sighed again<br>"the answers don't lie at the bottom of a cookie jar, but it's a damn good place to start"...

Xxx  
>In the back of Hoffman's car Kate slowly strummed a tune on her new guitar. She had had an acoustic when she was ten and had learnt a few songs, but she'd somehow managed to break it in two. She was thrilled to once again feel a fret board under her fingers. Sam sat next to her, reading the backs of her -many- painkillers. He'd insisted on coming with Hoffman to pick her up, even though they were going straight back to the house. In actual fact Kate was relieved to have Sam with her, after what had happened two weeks ago, Kate had felt more and more violated. People were watching her, coming into her home and into her business. Nothing was hers anymore; everything was tainted by the constant threat of intrusion.<p>

"What happened at the trial? The one for Kai's dad." Kate was desperate to break the awkward silence in the car. Sam and Hoffman exchanged nervous glances. Eventually, Sam spoke up.  
>"He got out four days ago. He's on parole and stuff so he can't really do anything. They've slammed a restraining order on him to stay away from all of us, but they were still shaken. No wonder Kai left."<br>Kate's ears pricked and her eyes widened.  
>"Kai left?" her voice cracked and her throat suddenly burned. Kai hadn't said anything on leaving; in fact, he'd sworn to be there when she came back. Kate stared desperately at Sam, waiting for him to laugh at her. Say it was a joke. But he didn't. Instead he dropped his gaze back to the bottle of ibuprofen. Kate looked to Hoffman, who had not taken his eyes from the road.<br>"He really left?"  
>Hoffman caught her eye in the rear view mirror. His eyes said it all.<p>

The car was silent for a good half an hour. Nobody knew quite what to say. Sam felt too awkward for sentiment in front of Hoffman, and vice versa. Kate knew no matter what she said it would be wrong. Kai was all Sam had for such a long time, what do you say when they just disappear?

By the time they'd reached the house, they were all feeling pretty lousy. Sam kept his eyes away from Kate's, not letting them meet whilst he helped her out of the car. Hoffman was silent and awkward as he carried her bags to the door. Kate flicked her eyes to them both. Never before had she seen such solemn faces.

The main hall was dark and silent for such a bright day. The curtains undrawn, the hall lights off and all the doors shut. Kate looked up at Hoffman, but couldn't make out his expression in the darkness. Slowly, Sam began to lead her towards the right doorway, the one that lead to the garden and rec-room. As Hoffman shut the front door and dumped the bags they were plunged into darkness, Kate gripped Sam's arm for guidance. Hoffman followed closely behind.

Turning a corner they came to the rec-room door, menacing and foreboding in the dark. The rec-room was Kate's least favourite room in the house. Apparently it had used to be Kai's room, but after one particularly wet winter damp had climbed the walls and water had filled the floor. The room had since been redecorated, the floors replaced and Walls repaired, but this had not been particularly helpful. The floor was cold and draughty, and with the room so big the wind was incredibly noisy. Not to mention the room still stank of damp and dead leaves. Rose had tried to perk it up with an Xbox and pool table, but nobody wanted to spend their days in a cold wet hole, so the toys had been moved and the rec-room forgotten.

However, when Sam opened the door, Kate was positive that this was NOT the rec-room. A glitter ball hung from the ceiling, reflecting the colours from a pro strobe lighting system. An array of rugs spread out all over the floor, Kate spotted a Few bath mats and even Dominic's duvet. The smell of damp was overcome by the scent of takeout KFC and baking.  
>But Before Kate could even take any of this in she was under attack from a small army. Dominic and Harriet pinned themselves to her legs, David and Megan chocked her and Rose, well Rose simply crushed them all. After the hugs and hello's were over everyone settled into the party. People attacked the food table, which Rose proudly announced had broken years before and repaired specially for the party. They had all pitched in for the food, aside from the array of cakes and cookies that had been prepared surprisingly by Sam. Needless to say this aroused a series of jeers from the others. Kate politely took a plate of food; she didn't have the heart to remind them that she still couldn't eat properly. People were dancing, twirling around the room with each other in fits of laughter and happiness. Kate sat down carefully on a large beanbag more interested in watching than joining in, flicking a glance to the doorway she realised that Hoffman had left. She couldn't blame him. The room was sweltering and the music was loud, it made her head throb as the base notes pounded through the air. She knew that everyone had meant well, but Kate hadn't slept in days and was looking forward to some rest. As everyone was enjoying themselves, Kate slipped out of the room closing the door quietly behind her.<p>

The hallways were dark and scary, and as Kate moved further away from the Rec—Room she felt more and more anxious. Her footsteps echoed off of the walls and made it sound like she was in a giant cave rather than a house. As she reached the main hall Kate was struck by just how big it looked in the dark, suddenly she felt very small and hurried –as fast as she could with her stomach- to the stairs. Taking each step two feet at a time Kate struggled up to the landing where she had first encountered a member of the Thompson Family. She could still remember his face, the way the light bounced off of his glasses and the feel of the wood splintering on her forehead. A shiver went down her spine and she shuffled to her room and opened the door.

She flicked the light on and shut the door tight. Rose had obviously made some changes. The walls were painted a bright new white that seemed to reflect the light that was cast from the new lighting system built into the ceiling. The floor was covered with a white fluffy carpet matching the new slippers at the end of the bed. The curtains had been kept the same and had been joined by a big blue wardrobe and duvet. The new blue bear was sprawled on the bed staring at her with a pair of large glassy eyes, and like the rest of the room it made Kate feel uncomfortable. It was as if the shooting had changed everything, changed who she was and how people treated her. Where was Hoffman's stern voice telling her to thank everyone for the party? Where were David's jokes about the museum's choice in staff? Where was Sam's eager voice begging her to come downstairs? Kate drew the curtains. Even the world had changed. It was gloomier. The sky was dark with clouds and raindrops were beginning to tap at the window as if the sky was spitting at her.

Kate slumped at her desk and stared at her reflection. Even that was different now. This Kate looked tired. Sickly. Broken. It looked like someone had stuck a needle into her and drained all of the colour.

"Kate?"

It was Rose. Kate shifted in her chair as the large woman sat gingerly on her bed. They were silent for a long moment, and then Kate voiced a thought that had been sitting in her head for far too long.

"You're a Thompson" she said coldly "I was too messed up to notice before, but I remembered when you introduced yourself not too long ago. You last name is Thompson"

Rose stared at her and sighed "I haven't spoken to my family for the longest time Kate. Not since I was sixteen. I've never wanted anything to do with them, ever. You do believe me don't you?"

"I don't know" said Kate "I don't know about anything anymore. I thought you were a nice person, I still do. But just because a killer helps out a few orphans it doesn't make them a good person"

Rose flinched at the word orphan. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she ducked her head "I would never... I _couldn't_...do you want to be moved Kate? Report me if you want! Tell them you don't feel safe here and I'll understand! If you want to, we can move you somewhere else."

Kate thought for a moment. Of the dirty streets and cloudy skies of this city. Of the stink of the alleys and the gangs that hung out around the town. She thought of the bullet shredding through her stomach. Of Sam's hand clutching hers in the hospital room. Of Harriet's hugs and David's Jokes. Of Hoffman's concerns.

"No." She whispered "I don't want to be moved. I don't know if I can trust you Rose. You belong to that family. They know you and you know them. But you wouldn't have been put in charge of this place if you were associated with them. I won't report you. But I won't trust you until the Thompsons are brought down."

Rose nodded and stood. She looked into Kate's eyes and sighed heavily "I promise, you will never get hurt again Kate. Trust me or not, I love you"

And with that she left, leaving Kate alone with her thoughts. Kate's eyes wandered around the room, settling on the bear who still glared at her from the bed and, shuffling quickly across the room she picked it up and tossed it under the bed.


	12. The Twisting Of Katelyn Moon

**Disclaimer: Saw is copyright of someone else who is not and has never been myself. If you should discover that I am in fact its rightful owner, please proceed to tell me so that I can have lots and lots of money. **

**Sorry that I have written fuck-all for a long time but A-Levels, novel writing (I've hit a wall) and general dicking around has kept me occupied. Still, I have returned and will proceed to make words with letters that make you smile. **

Katelyn changed over the following weeks. The change was neither good nor bad, but simply a change that was bound to occur as a result of what had happened to her. The first thing that happened was that she began to see the world through knowing eyes. She sized up things wherever she went; no longer blindly trusting anyone or anything. She was not overprotective of herself or anyone else as such; it was more that Katelyn simply identified the dangers of where she was and thought of how they could be avoided in the unlikely event of them actually happening. For example, when Hoffman had taken her and Megan swimming there was a group of loud, large, boisterous looking boys in the deep end. Katelyn looked over at them once or twice, and deduced whilst changing that their ages spanned from sixteen to eighteen. She recalled the faces of the biggest and the smallest, which one would be able to do the most damage, possible weaknesses, who seemed the lest involved in the activity and how likely they were to start something. They hadn't. In fact by the time Knala and Megan had finished changing and gone back to the pool they were gone. It became something of a hobby.

The second change, this one being much more obvious was Katelyn's everyday habits. She took up her new guitar and began practicing for hours each day using a second hand amplifier and a pair of headphones. When she was not playing she was either writing or sketching- She was not a talented artist and her writing was mediocre at best, but she spent any spare minutes doing one of the three new activities. Any T.V shows Katelyn watched were online- cartoons, anime, YouTube series' and sci-fi/fantasy shows were all she watched; never a soap opera, never the news, never anything resembling real people. Nobody minded terribly, however Rose did complain constantly about paper, strings or electricity.

Katelyn's demeanour also changed. Her humour became darker, more satirical. Girly exploits lost their appeal to her, and lead to Harriet receiving a great deal more toys including the blue bear given to her by Hoffman. The choker she had also received was still unworn sitting in a drawer on her desk. The silver necklace she had kept, as one-It was real silver and two-it wasn't terribly girlish.

The fourth, and by far the most bewildering change was Katelyn's appearance. She had once been what beauty magazines and others called an "hourglass" with broad shoulders, wide hips, carrying slightly more fat than she wanted to. However by the end of her second week back Katelyn had lost a great deal of weight to the degree where her old T-Shirts were only good for sleeping in and even then they could slide of during the night. Her earlier mentioned hobbies occupied so much of her time now that she only ate in passing. This prompted Hoffman to take her out, to "Treat" her to new clothes. She had dryly remarked that being shot was hardly something that earned one a reward. Hoffman had simply rolled his eyes and said nothing. They returned with new clothes, which lacked any aspect of girly-ness or innocence. Katelyn still favoured her band T-shirts and her uncommon hairstyles but combined with black jeans and an army cargo jacket only she certainly looked more frightening and dangerous than cute.

So after all of this you can imagine that people became increasingly worried about Katelyn. Rose and Hoffman in their careers had seen all too many people lose any positivity in their outlook after traumatic experiences. Megan David and Sam Tried their hardest to keep Katelyn in the loop and to be fair she often went out with them to the mall or the movies or something. But at home they barely saw her. When Sam went into her room Katelyn would stop whatever she was doing and not start again until he left. Never, he often thought to himself, has a boyfriend been this alienated.

And so when Katelyn's first day of high school arrived, everyone felt the tension. Her stomach had healed, and on the twenty second of April she would transfer into Pewter Rock high School. There was no uniform, but there were certain regulations that everyone including even Sam and David were afraid that Katelyn would breach.

The first day begin like most of Katelyn's others after the incident. At five AM she found herself awake, for no reason other than her body clock was designed that way. She hauled herself from her bed and wandered to the bathroom. Early morning showers were a newly discovered love in Katelyn's life; nobody was awake to bother you, hot water was guaranteed and should one forget the towel or clothes then the naked dash back to one's room could be done in a slow self loving strut.

Once dry, Katelyn went back into her bedroom and picked up a sketchpad. In just over two years she would have her first of many tattoos done. She had been sketching potentials for weeks on end and still had not found one that she would happily emblazon on her skin for all eternity. Nobody else knew though, and better that way. She spent the following hours sketching out a large and poorly drawn dragon for a bicep tattoo, agonizing over it until Rose's knock at the door sent a long black line straight through it. Katelyn shrugged. She had no delusions about her drawing skills and she hadn't planned on having the tattoo anyway. After shouting to Rose that she was awake Katelyn pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt with some sort of skull motif that she didn't look at properly.

At seven thirty the call came that it was time to leave and so Katelyn, knowing that everyone would be giving her more attention than she wanted, tried as hard as she could to get down the stairs and onto the minibus without being seen.

It didn't go well.

Everyone was assembled at the bottom of the stairs looking expectantly up at her like she was some form of long awaited alien friend. Sam was looking up too, his blue eyes wide with hidden concern. Kate looked at him and didn't have the heart not to come down. She was all too aware that she had been neglecting him. She couldn't help it. She had lost touch with society in a way, much of what they said, did and cared about she didn't recognise. But still, Sam cared about her. And that was not something to take for granted.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked directly at him ignoring everyone else. His smile was so forced and his body so rigid that Katelyn felt even worse. Like a stop-motion video with a posable toy, Sam leant in and gave her a dry peck on the cheek. Katelyn gave a faint smile in response but couldn't help but notice how the warmth of their earliest kisses was gone. She did not blame him though. If that was anyone's fault it was hers. Hoffman's giant paws landed upon each of Katelyn's shoulders "You'll ride with me" he said sternly "We can't risk your (or anyone else's) safety by putting you on the bus"

Katelyn just shrugged. She was used to Hoffman's protection by now. He was there a lot during the week to check up on things, and whenever Katelyn wanted to leave the house (which wasn't often). Once he had even slept over when there was a shooting in the next town over. Katelyn still recalled his heavy snoring on her floor amidst the dirty clothes and the pencil shavings.

Katelyn was removed from thought by the heavy tug at her leg. She looked down and of course found Harriet and Dominic looking up at her. _Oh for Christ's sake _she thought to herself. Even they had worried expressions. Dominic bit his lower lip and said in a tiny voice "Are you feeling better now?"

She knew what he meant. It was mentioned during a rather heated discussion with Rose about Kate's sudden introversion, that they had told Harriet and Dominic that Kate was ill rather than just no longer bothering with people. She had no idea why they couldn't have been told the truth, but she decided not to dwell on it.

"Relatively" she said dryly "while I've stopped spurting copious amounts of blood from every opening in my body, I still find that even the lightest touch of my skin causes excruciating sores and severe muscle damage."

Dominic let go instantly, but Harriet remained, digging her fingernails into Kate's skin until Rose snapped her out of it "your cereal's getting soggy dear."

When Harriet and Dominic were gone an awkward silence was left in the main hall. It remained while Rose herded everyone into the minibus and ensured that Kate had everything she needed. Kate didn't doubt that whilst looking through her bag she had a sneaky look for cigarettes or pot, but that was to be expected.

Along the way Kate was glad when her and Hoffman lost sight if the minibus behind an SUV and several other smaller cars. It was nice not to be affronted with other people for a while. But it turned sour when Hoffman stopped the car at the side of the road. Other cars sped past and the minutes ticked closer to eight thirty. They would be late. Hoffman said nothing for a few moments and Kate pretended not to notice how increasingly awkward it was becoming. As the clock reached eight twenty Hoffman caved and said heavily "I want you to try Kate. I don't mean try to go back to who you were, because I know you can't. To be honest I don't want you to either. I don't know why, but for some reason you seem happier this way and I wouldn't want to change that. What I mean, is I want you to try and let more people in. You've been pushing us away for so long Kate, and I know it's for a good reason. But you're still young. Don't become an island. When you go to school today, I want you to let some people talk to you properly. You never know- they might interest you."

Katelyn didn't answer.

"Kate." Hoffman was looking right at her now. She looked out of the window at the cars rushing by and wished she was in one of them. "Katelyn, answer me." Hoffman said sternly. The silence between them was alive with irritation on both sides.

Hoffman finally snapped "So help me god I'll get the booster seat out."

"Fine. I won't beat the hordes of people begging to be my friend off with an iron bar." she said it quickly and void of sarcasm, but the point still stuck. The car started again and they reached the school just after half past eight.

People still milled about in the courtyard, and when they'd pulled up Hoffman pecked Kate quickly on the top of the head, much to her annoyance. "Try. For my sake at least." She heard him say as she got out.

As Katelyn walked towards the main building, the books and notepads knocking about in her bag, she considered the possibility of someone in the entire building remotely interesting her.

She couldn't have doubted it more.

**Okay! Sorry that this chapter differs wildly from my earlier ones, but to be fair I've changed quite a bit since last year. I hope you still enjoyed it and bear in mind it won't be this mundane forever, this is just an establishing chapter if anything. **


	13. Mini Hurricanes And Pathetic Fallacies

**Disclaimer: Insert satirical comment about my not owning the Saw franchise here.**

Katelyn was seated at the back of the classroom. A considerable amount of eyes were pointing in her direction at every possible time. Her new classmates clearly thought they were being inconspicuous, which only worsened Kate's mood. There was nobody particularly fascinating in this particular homeroom, if anything everyone was entirely textbook. Along the front there were a number of relatively attractive middle class girls wearing thick rimmed glasses which served no purpose. The type of girls that would get on their soapboxes about equality or something but still insist on insulting and isolating anyone different to them. The type of girls that would stab a friend in the back at the slightest falling out. The desks across from her were taken up by a collection of people who Kate could tell would never contribute anything to society. Expensive phones were taken out under tables, they spoke only in unintelligible slang. One boy was gently pressing his foot into the backside of the girl in front of him. Katelyn could hardly blame him; her shorts were so small that it was practically hanging out.

There were two alright looking girls directly in front of Kate. Their desks were side by side, and they appeared to be of considerable intelligence. One on the left had very white blond curly hair, blue eyes and was frightfully skinny. The other had short hair that was currently tinted blue and brown eyes. She was not skinny, but had a comfortable weight that she wore well. They were speaking with proper pronunciation and eloquence, and Kate found that she didn't mind them terribly.

The rest of the classroom was inhabited by a smattering of metal heads, but by their dyed and unwashed hair Kate estimated that their passion would last all of six months.

Megan had been placed in a different homeroom, which was both a gift and a curse. Kate did want her to be around, because despite her changes she still found Megan to be a good friend and sort of fun to be around. Not having her in homeroom was making the outlook of her time at this school even bleaker. But at the same time, she was sure that if Megan had been there it would have been fairly awkward, seeing as how they had little to talk about these days.

The bell for classes to begin tolled and everyone filed out. Kate looked at the timetable in her hand and sighed- she had been signed up for as many classes that they could fit into the week. The first was P.E. Kate had been given a second hand T-Shirt and pair of sweats that were nowhere near small enough. She sunk down the busy halls to the changing rooms, weaving in and out of the crowds.

Katelyn reached the doorway to the changing room about five minutes late. The bag on her shoulder felt heavier than when she had left the house, and her palms were sweating. All of a sudden she wanted nothing more than to not have to go into that room. Every fibre of her being pulled her arm away from that handle, and she had half a mind to turn around and simply walk out of school. Kate would not confess this even in her own mind, but she was afraid to go inside. She recalled her last school. She had never been talented at sports, she was feeble and lazy through and through. Nobody had particularly liked her, and that was when she had been open and friendly and relatively sociable. Now even Kate had to admit that she wasn't as likeable as before, which didn't bode well for her. Her belly was scarred badly after the gunshot and the surgery. It had been pointed out to her time and again that it was worryingly similar to a caesarean scar.

It was like that first day in the hospital, after she had found out that her father had been killed. So many bad situations were playing out in her head. Kate didn't really mind if she didn't make any friends. But the sting of being disliked and avoided by everyone was one that she knew she still couldn't cope with. It hurt her that she could be hated when she had done nothing wrong and rightfully so. Kate thought about all of the times her father had been called into school about this, and how often she had had to sit in conferences about the issues alone. It had been terrified. The classmate and their parents on one side of the office, feeling their eyes burning into her.

Kate had been standing outside the door for some time now. But she was still deep in thought. Had her father ever come to her school once? Had he ever seen a play? A sport day? Had he ever put a crappy picture of hers up on the fridge? All of these dad things, all the memories that other kids took through life with them, were entirely alien to her. They had never even sat on the couch and curled up to watch T.V.

Kate's chest felt hot. Not on the skin, inside. Like her muscles were on fire.

The world laughed at a joke that she did not understand.

Kate had not thought about her father for a while. But now she could think of nothing else. It hurt. This was not just neglect. It wasn't just being lied to.

It was rejection.

Her father had never wanted her.

When the P.E teacher went into the changing room to take attendance, Kate wasn't there. She wasn't in the bathroom either. A few staff members were sent out to find her, in case she was lost, but they wouldn't find her. Kate had left campus.

There was a park across the street from where the school was, a great wide field dotted in daisies and dandelions basking in the early spring sun. Kate sat under a large oak tree letting the pollen be the blame for her shamefully red eyes. She wanted to stop caring. To turn herself off. But she couldn't.

She had felt like this before, but never such a deep, unbearable emptiness. Every time her father had said he would be home for a weekend, she would get her hopes up all week long. She would make sure the apartment was clean, pick out a few good movies, and maybe chose a new outfit. _Look dad. Look how good I am. Please stay. _Kate knew that is what the purpose of all of that was. Then when he cancelled, she would decide that she didn't care. His loss. She didn't want to see him anyway, who would want to spend time with a neglectful father who drank too much and never called? She would take off the outfit, screw up the place and sit in the dark watching the movies until she fell asleep.

She would tell herself that it was more fun. But that wouldn't keep her from crying at night.

Even now, when Harry Moon had done everything wrong, everything evil, everything that a father should never do, Kate couldn't help but care. Because looking at everyone else, with their fathers and their families, how complete they seemed to be, Kate knew that something was missing. Some hole that nobody, no matter how sweet or kind or close they were could fill.

She was missing something. She wanted a father, a mother. A family that worked. But that was a right that she had been denied.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

The fire in Kate's chest burned hotter than before, and she stood up. Her bag bumped against her leg and she punted it across the field, sending papers and books flying. Kate tore off her jacket and threw it across also. She pulled the bands out of her hair, she pulled off her bracelets. All of it she knew, deep down, she wore for other people. She didn't want any of it. She didn't want _Anything. _Nobody, Nothing. The one thing she could have ever wanted or needed had been denied to her, for a reason that she could neither know nor rectify. Someone was holding it just beyond her reach, with a hidden smirk and an ulterior motive.

Kate screamed loud and angry across the field at someone who was not there, long and agonized until her throat ached. Tears of rage spilt down her face and she rubbed then away with her fists, pressing so hard that bruises would form. Sobs came, shaking her whole body, until she felt like she would be sick. Her chest would _not stop burning_. And it scared her. She collapsed to the ground again, pulling up flowers and grass in her fists.

Nothing was beautiful. Not this field, not some abstract concept that people understand nothing whatsoever. Kate was howling and howling in the quiet where nobody could hear her. Somewhere inside she was happy to be alone, but everywhere else she was so angry and so hurt that she could not have known. Kate sobbed and sobbed, until the sky filled with clouds and cried with her.

She felt like everything inside of her was dying.

Hoffman frowned at his phone. He, Amanda and John were sitting in their living room writing up some plans when he had received the text message. John scowled across the table "What is it now?"

Hoffman scowled back "Why would you care so much?" things had been tense since John had said that Kate would effectively be trapped with them after they adopted her. Amanda, being neutral in the argument, was trying her hardest to keep the peace "Come on." she sighed "We were doing so well. Just leave it alone you two."

"I was" seethed John "Until Hoffman turned his phone into a baby monitor" He flicked a pencil across the table. It didn't even hit Hoffman, but it landed near enough for him to get that it was aimed at him. "Well pardon me if I'm the only one who wants to keep our goal clear." He growled back.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, that if we start letting innocents suffer for other people's crimes then what we defeat our aim. In taking out Harry, we accidentally allowed for a vendetta to be taken out against Kate. If we let them kill her then We're no better than the people we target."

John rolled his eyes "What? Do you expect us to trap the entire Johnson family?"

"No." Hoffman said determinedly "I expect you t understand why I am doing this. I want to keep Kate safe because her death would be on my conscience. I want to adopt her, because she has nowhere else to go, and to have to monitor her for the rest of her life you be a pain so-"

"You fucking liar." John cut in "you want to adopt her because you've got a soft spot for her, that's pretty fucking evident. And I didn't say that you couldn't, I said that if you did then she would have to stay here forever, and commit herself to us"

"We can't make that choice for her!"

"Well that's your fault not mine! You're the one who insisted on targeting Harry in the first place!"

"You don't think I know that? It fucking kills me that if I'd just waited a couple of days the police would've found him, And the Johnsons wouldn't think they had to get to Kate. But I can't go back now. I have to do what's right. All I ask is that you understand!"

"I understand, I gave you terms. Like them or fuck yourself"

Amanda got up from the table and went through to the kitchen to make herself some cereal. Hoffman slammed his fist down on the table "Your terms are fucking ridiculous! Denying her a family, a life outside of _this._ Would you want your child to live like that?"

Hoffman realised too late what he had said, but the words were out now. John stood slowly, and swept all of their plans off of the table. He leant over and looked Hoffman dead in the eye "If I _had a child,_ then we wouldn't be here."

With that he stormed out, slamming his bedroom door so hard that the papers were blown into the air again. Hoffman slumped at the table again and rested his head in his hands. Amanda came back in, looked about at the papers and in-between mouthfuls of cereal said "Damn those mini hurricanes." Hoffman couldn't even manage a smile. It seemed that everything was breaking down, and there was nothing he could do about it. Amanda sat across the table from him and proceeded to eat her cereal, paying no attention to the incredulously dark aura in the room. They sat in silence, until Amanda's cereal was gone. She ran a finger through the leftover milk and let it dribble around, before she leant across the table and gently spread it across Hoffman's forehead whispering "_Simba_"

That worked. Hoffman had no choice but to smirk at the lion king reference. They both immediately felt better after that. Hoffman sighed and looked across at the papers "What can I do Amanda?"

"Well" she said thoughtfully "We _could _turn those papers over and draw funny pictures. Or, we could so the adult thing and draw pornographic sketches." That one didn't work as well as she had hoped, and so she chose to answer seriously "You can keep doing what you're doing, but more discreetly. Don't flash it in John's face all the time. As you've just pointed out, the guy did lose a kid of his own. I'm sure he isn't enjoying you flaunting Kate around. Secondly, Work as hard as you can on getting some leads on the Johnsons. The more of their guys that are in prison the safer she'll be. Who knows? Perhaps in the end you might not even need to adopt her."

"I hope so, Amanda. I really hope so."

The sun had gone down. Kate had finally given in and collected her soaked things and shoved them back into her bag. Her hair bands were lost, but she had managed to recover one or two bracelets, so that was something. Her jacket would take a long time to dry, so she had stuffed it into the bag as well. But she was not going home. Kate had decided to stay here, in the park, under the tree, all night. She would dry off in the morning sun, then shower at school and get there early. She would say that she'd gotten lost or something, then everything would be okay.

It was a pipe dream, but one that she had to believe for now. The police would be sent out soon enough, Hoffman along with them. She would catch pneumonia tonight and end up throwing up at school, and sent home. Everyone would be so pissed off with her. But she was forgetting to care.

It was better this way, she reflected. It was better that she had screamed and sobbed and fallen apart where nobody could see her, rather than out in the open or in ten year's time. All of it was well overdue. But now she felt drained, and empty. Not only that but she felt like everywhere she went she was pulling out the light from everywhere else; the spot of red paint on an otherwise pure white wall, the tear in the silk dress. She was what was wrong.

Suddenly, a bright white light blasted Kate's eyes. She jumped in dark surprise and fell backwards almost whacking her head on the tree trunk. She grabbed her bag protectively and squinted through the light. She recognised the body of the person behind the light.

"Katelyn." Kai said slowly, turning off his light. His long black hair was dishevelled, it had been hastily tied back. His eyes were tired and he was holding a black backpack over one shoulder "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

**Jellybeans are made of nightmares. By eating them, you do the world a service. **


	14. The Melted Facade

**Disclaimer: Saw is the rightful property of another person.**

**I definitely need to keep updating at this pace. **

Kai didn't stick around to see Kate after Rose was done with her. He just went in, dropped her off and left. From the looks everyone had given her as she slunk off to her room, Kate could tell that they all blamed her for it.

Kate was finding it difficult to mind now. Her outburst in the park had worn her out and she was too tired to worry about anything other than sleeping. She didn't even remove her sopping clothes, just threw her boots, jacket and bag into a corner and slid into bed.

In the darkness, as the rainwater slowly seeped into the bed linen, Kate reflected on everyone downstairs. She knew that she had undergone a drastic change which was bound to change how they treated her, but she could not help but feel like there was something else influencing them. She had felt it for a while now as a matter of fact, but had never dwelled on it too much. For example, on days where she did nothing but leave her room nobody would try to enter or speak to her. As a matter of fact they wouldn't even go near the door. Any time she saw others in the main hall or around the house they would be happy to chat, but when it came to their own choice it seemed that they were purposely avoiding her. She hadn't minded terribly; she had neglected them and it was natural for them to leave her out. But the complete lack of communication was troubling. Kate had dismissed anxiety about them knowing she didn't. After today, however, when everyone had given her those looks of contempt as she went up the stairs she couldn't avoid the anxiety any longer.

Not a worried word, not a relieved sigh. Everyone had simply scowled. Kate didn't necessarily _want _them fawning all over her but it was unusual for them to start resenting her over something so small.

The door opened so suddenly that Kate very nearly screamed. She was happy that she didn't though, when she saw that it was just Sam. She went to sit up, but Sam raised a hand "Lie down." He stood in the threshold of the door, stock still in the darkness.

"Why?" Kate asked anxiously.

"Because I don't want to look at you."

That stung. Kate stayed sitting up and looked Sam dead in the eyes. They were cold and empty, which only frustrated Katelyn further "I don't want to look at you either. So get out."

Either Sam moved quickly, or Kate moved slowly. Whichever one it was, Sam managed to get over to the bed, put a hand on Kate's chest and force her to lie back. Her heart began to pound. This was not the Sam she remembered. But then again, she was not the Kate she remembered either. Kate was not above calling out but she hoped dearly that she wouldn't have to. Sam sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from her. The only recognition he gave of her presence was his hand on her chest. They sat in the dark for a moment, before Sam spoke "I don't understand you"

Kate didn't answer, not that it mattered because Sam was not waiting for one "We were all doing so well. It was you and me and all of us here together. But then, you just decided that you didn't want to be one of us. I can understand it. You're new to everything here. You want to shut it all out. But then you avoid all of us like the black plague, you just sit up here like fucking royalty, like you're so beyond us. Do you understand what that feels like? We've all known how it feels to lose family; this is a place for everyone to share in that. You act like you're so fucking special."

"Sam-" Kate began but he cut her off

"Kai left because of you. Because he and Rose are related to that fucking family. We didn't care about it. We were fine with where they came from. But then you went and got shot and made it so fucking hard for him that he left. And we were ok with that, because we understood. We liked you and didn't want anything to happen to you. But then you did this. You were my fucking girlfriend! I walked through that therapy pool after that bitch who tried to kill you, and I got fucking hard and terrified and...I did all that for you, and then you pretend we don't exist. And seeing Kai today, I can tell you that everyone wanted to trade the two of you. Even Dom understands that."

Kate couldn't speak. Nobody had told her exactly why Kai left, but they had made it seem that it was because of his father. Sam's hand pushed harder, until Kate could hardly breathe. "I hate you. Do you know that? You're not the girl I loved. You're not the girl that ANYONE LOVES! You're some hipster fucking introvert who just hates everyone aren't you?" he was shouting now. He leaned right over Kate and dug his nails into her chest, so hard that it felt like she would start bleeding. "Say it!" he shouted into her face. His other hand become a fist, and in one swift movement he thwacked her on the shoulder. It hurt like hell but Kate would not cry out. Instead she just stared into Sam's eyes, stunned. He punched her again, harder "_Say it!" _He kept punching and screaming, until Kate's shoulder was entirely numb. Was this the boy that gladly pecked her cheek this morning? The entire facade appeared to have collapsed.

Suddenly Sam's hands were gone, and a voice that was distinctly David's was carrying over his "come on man. Just go to bed. Just go to bed Sam." Kate tried to sit up but the pain in her shoulder and chest forced her back down. As he bedroom door shut again, she began to gasp for air through the pain. She lay like this for what seemed like hours, just trying to level herself out. But she couldn't. The fears that she'd had so long ago were becoming a reality, and it was her own fault.

Kate was honestly beginning to get tired of being the cause for all the drama. How soap stars did it would forever remain a mystery.

"Kate?" It was Megan; she must've come in with David. Kate didn't look at her. A dark mix of shame and fear brewed in her belly. Megan came closer to the bed and sat on the edge, where Sam had been. But instead of sitting upright Megan sort of fell to the side, so that she was lying by Kate. She turned over and faced her, resting her head on the pillow. Kate couldn't bring herself to look so Megan gently took Kate's chin in her fingers and turned her head for her. Megan's eyes were the saddest Kate had ever seen them. Even sadder than when she had first seen her in the hospital. Megan ran a finger down Kate's nose, and quietly said "Sam hasn't handled things as well as you think, Kate. It's true that we're not all totally happy with you, but he was exaggerating."

Kate's chest was still hurting. She began to gently rub and murmured "He had a few good points." She felt like she was losing a battle by saying it, but she didn't feel like keeping up a front anymore.

"Granted, he did" Megan nodded in the darkness "Kai did indeed leave because he was afraid he would put you in danger. And yes, lately we've been feeling shut out. And that hurts when you're already isolated. It's hard to see the positives of having someone around if all they do is hide from you. But listen to me. We would never trade you away, Kate. We love you, even if it's hard sometimes. You went through something horrible, and that was bound to change you. We just have to find some middle ground where you're not completely alone all the time."

Kate felt touched. She really did. Megan's eyes were looking straight into her's, and she felt something break inside. She really cared. Kate ducked her head, and let Megan put her long skinny arms around her. "I've really fucked up haven't I?" she said in a small voice. Megan laughed, but it wasn't scornful "Yes. But not as badly as you think. You've hurt Sam pretty bad, but I don't think he understands that you changing is normal. He thinks that you're upset about being in care. But that isn't the case, is it?" she pulled Kate across the bed and into a hug. She didn't even seem to mind that her pyjamas were getting soaked by the rainwater. Kate shook her head "no."

"Of course its not. You handled care fine before all of this. But to be fair to Sam, he's been in a similar situation to you, and I don't think he remembers what it was like afterwards. He's shut it out."

"What happened to him" Kate wasn't sure that she wanted to know, but it was better than theorising all night about it. Megan seemed to deliberate it for a second, then said "Both of Sam's parents suffered from clinical depression. Usually that sort of thing can be handled, but they never seeked medical help. When Sam was little they tried to kill themselves and him, by driving off of a bridge with him in the car. They fell into a river, and both of Sam's parents drowned. He survived but he's terrified of water now."

Kate stayed silent, breathing shallowly into Megan's top.

"That's why him going into the water after that woman was such a big deal. You owe Sam an apology."

"I know." Kate allowed for her voice to crack, just a little. Megan's grip tightened.

"Not now though. Now he has to calm down. You becoming so introverted has scared him, Kate. You almost died twice, and then you seem to disappear from his life. I think it reminds him too much of what happened to him."

"I-I" Kate struggled for words. She felt like the worst shit on earth.

"We understand, the rest of us." Megan interrupted "David, Rose, Me, even Dom and Harriet. It's just hard to remember that when you're freaking us out. But we do love you. And don't worry, you won't have to apologise to all of us. Just Sam. In private."

Kate hugged Megan tighter "Thank you" her voice was barely audible.

Megan stroked Kate's hair back behind her ear "I love you very much, Kate."

"I love you too."

They lay together in the silence, until little by little they dropped off to sleep.

**That should be the end of the depressing chapters. **

**But I might stick a few ones in later on just to jerk you guys around... **


	15. Severed Genitalia Really Kills The Mood

**Disclaimer: I was kidnapped by ninjas for like three months. I swear. I can't describe them because they're ninjas, and I couldn't see them with mortal eyes. **

**Saw is a potato that was not grown in my field. **

Kate bit her nails. She was sat in Rose's office with the serious eyes of Hoffman and a social worker upon her. Her talk with Sam had been rudely interrupted, and she had thought for a moment that she was being saved from the awkwardness that her former boyfriend had presented. He had been shamefaced and cold when they spoke, said one word of apology for his actions and nothing more. For the duration of Kate's explanation and subsequent apology for her behaviour, he had been entirely unresponsive. It had felt very much like trying to get a cat to fetch a stick.

But she would gladly have returned to her efforts rather than remain in this room any longer.

After a few moments of flicking through files the social worker (who was about as much fun as herpes) spoke in a flat, 'my dreams are dead' voice "How are you feeling today Katelyn?"

His words were so unenthusiastic they bordered on sarcasm "I feel the way you look"

"And how would that be?" his words turned sharp

"Like an idealistic young go-getter with the whole world ahead of me, not afraid to shoot for the stars, grab the bull by the horns and-"

"Thank you, Katelyn" The social worker rudely interrupted her "Detective Hoffman, if you will" Hoffman was wearing what he once described as his 'I'm being observed so I have to behave' face, which effectively meant that he had to remain professional and polite for the duration of the meeting. However tempted Kate might have been to abuse this situation, Hoffman had made it perfectly clear how such behaviour might prompt him to enforce certain regulations of the road afterwards. His voice was dripping with the transparent delicacy that masked exhaustion with the situation "As you know, the Johnson family is targeting you. As a result the police force is working hard to see as many of them as possible behind bars, both for your safety and the safety of the city."

Kate nodded, and began to nibble at her thumbnail.

"Well we have a lead on a drug ring that operates in the downtown area. And one of the most important people within it is Ross Johnson, the same man who broke into the Home when you first arrived."

Kate's heart skipped a beat. She remembered what seemed like years ago, when she had caught the spectacled young man leaning on the railings in the moonlight. She remembered his hand pressed against her back and the flash of red hair and felt ill. "Would you like something to drink, Kate?" the social worker asked in a rehearsed, patronising half-whisper.

"I would like to not be here." she answered sharply, trying to ignore the twist in her gut.

"I'm sorry. But we have to do this now, Kate." Hoffman was apologetic, she knew. She swallowed dryly and gave a stiff nod.

Hoffman continued "The police are going to make a move to bring down this ring, and when we do we will have enough evidence to put Ross away- perhaps even some other members of the family with previous arrests. We will need you to be a witness when it comes to the trial."

Kate felt dizzy. She thought back to the times in school with angry eyes upon her. She knew that in court, it would be worse. The people around her would want her dead. "It should be made clear" Said the social worker "That your statement may not be necessary. The police already have Rose, and the inside information supplied to them. You would only be needed if Ross' defence found a way around all of that."

"Would I have to be in the court room?" Kate asked. The social worker looked to Hoffman, who shook his head

"No. We'll take you to the station where you'll be interviewed about the encounter, and that will be presented in court. It's part of child protection."

"Then Ok."

Hoffman quickly jotted something down in a file, and then stood "That's all we need for now. My office will contact the Home about a date for the interview"

"Mr Hoffman and I have some things to discuss Katelyn, you can go now." The social worker looked bored and exhausted, but Kate had to give him credit for sticking with his bullshit routine.

She couldn't have gotten out of the office fast enough.

The next day at school, Kate was even more absent than usual. She allowed for her seat to be kicked by the boisterous and denser-than-quasar under achievers behind her without turning a hair. The Middle class girls at the front, who thought themselves geeks because they wore the T-shirts, spoke loudly and will complete ignorance about why Superman should have been in The Avengers. Kate didn't even bother thinking about new ways to torture them. The greasy metal heads raved about black veil brides, and Kate didn't even have the sense to drown them out with Anthrax. She doodled the man she now knew as Ross Johnson in her notebook, then scribbled it out as hard as she could. Even when the picture was nothing more than a large black burn mark on the page, Kate couldn't get rid of it. She swapped notebooks. _Why must I always be the problem child?_ She thought to herself as she dumped the old book in the trash on her way out of school _the drama I create for myself is second only to the drama that follows me. _

Hoffman was waiting by his car, slipping Hershey kisses into his mouth in what he must have thought a discreet manner. He offered Kate one as she came within his sights but she passed; she didn't really like sweets anymore. As they drove home Kate asked him if the details had been sorted for the interview yet "Sometime during spring break I'd imagine" was his vague reply, which was the beginning and end of the day's commuting chitchat. They seemed to be going slower than all the other cars on the road. Kate caught brief glimpses of drivers and passengers, and turned her mind to a potential chain reaction that could lead to a four car pileup.

In keeping with her promise to Megan, Kate spent the afternoon downstairs in the living room with the others doing homework. Naturally, Sam was silent and unresponsive to Kate alone, but afterwards David reassured her that it was mostly for show now; Sam had neither the energy nor the heart to hold a grudge. After she and David had exchanged a few more words, Kate was excused back to her room. She lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. There was a lot of waiting to be done recently, which was certainly not helping Kate's bitter moods. What was she to do with a life suspended in limbo? She could not go forward until the way was safe. She could not go back because the way was blocked by what had already happened.

Kate suddenly moaned and threw her quilt across the room. She opened her mouth wide and rubbed her cheeks to stir up the blood. She wanted to wake up. She walked across her room to the socket, unplugged her phone then plugged in the small dollar store speaker she'd bought herself. She turned the music up as loud as it could go and wedged her desk chair under the door handle.

Kate wanted to move. She drew her curtains, turned off the light and in the darkness she began to dance. It wasn't the type of awkward bobby dancing she had done before. With no-one to see her, Kate thrashed around the room with eyes half open. She ran her hands all over her body, under her own shirt tracing the outlines of her body. There was no euphoria quite like good music. She felt the floor vibrate when she stamped, and heard the commotion outside as people puzzled over just what she was doing. Kate was undoubtedly the type of girl to have a sudden surge of energy in the midst of mundanity. She smiled to herself as her belly loosened and relaxed. Her skin tingled. As the tracks changed she decided that she would never fully understand herself. A sudden change in moods and attitudes, a desire to shut up and smile; it wasn't a terrible way to live. Kate grew steadily hotter as she danced, and pulled off her top. Her hair tumbled all over the place and tickled the small of her back. It went on like this for ages, until fists hammered at her door and voices rose above the music.

Kate tried to ignore it, but her eyes were beginning to itch and it was no longer worth the fight. She slugged to the speaker and turned the music down, reaching a hand behind her back to undo her bra as she did so. They were still shouting outside, still hammering at her door. Kate conceded further by turning the music off altogether but they only grew louder. She fidgeted with her bra strap, reaching both arms back to get it off but to no avail. The shouting didn't help "The music's off!" She yelled, managing to get one hook undone at the very least.

"Kate! Kate, get the fuck out of there!" The voice was Hoffman's, panicked and angry at the same time. Kate had little time to wonder why before her unasked question was answered. A hand that wasn't her's did her the courtesy of undoing her last hook. Kate felt cold, then hot, and she felt a shock go through her sinus like one gets when one trips on an unseen curb.

She trembled all over, her breath caught in her throat and her heart seemed to shake her as it beat. The hand danced up her back to her head, and buried itself in her hair. Kate's bra was barely hanging on, and she felt the sudden compulsion to cross her arms across her chest. Were she not frozen with fear she would have done. "Kate!" it was Rose this time, sounding close to tears. So was Kate for that matter.

Another hand came down upon Kate's hip making her jump. The hand in her hair gripped hard as the one on her hip pulled her into a body that she couldn't see. She felt pecks against the back of her head, and smelled expensive cologne. The voice of the hands was gentle "Do you understand what I will do if you try to scream?" Kate could only nod "and do you know what I'm going to do if you don't co-operate?" Kate did not. But she could guess. She nodded. The hands stroked her skin, and an alien nose sniffed her neck. Kate felt teeth graze her shoulder, and the rapid breaths of sex.

_No. _

"Don't be afraid. I wasn't hired to do this." he took a hand away, and produced a switchblade "I was hired to use this. But not here" he brought right up to Kate's face and pressed it gently into her cheek "Off we go." He moved the blade to her throat and began to pull them towards the window from which he had presumably come. Kate was sweating hard; her body was limp and trembling. The only noise she could make was a feeble, near inaudible cry as she was pulled closer towards the window. The night air was harsh on her bare back as the unknown man sat her down upon the sill. His face was pale and freckled, his hair dishwater blond, his eyes the palest blue. For a moment Kate wondered why none of these people ever bothered to cover their faces, and then she realized; it was always their intent to kill her. There would be nobody to place the faces to the crimes if they succeeded. With every failed attempt, the more they needed her dead. Still. One would think that they would take the precaution of a ski mask.

Kate stared out at the garden below her. Off in the distance, on the road just outside of the grounds she could make out a van that was undoubtedly where she would be going. Sirens echoed through the stillness of the night, prompting another flash of the blade before her face "Go on."

Kate had no idea what prompted the next action. Perhaps it was just because the opportunity presented itself. Perhaps it was too many spy films. Or perhaps it was the knowledge of what was about to happen. But as her attacker waved the blade before her face, Kate's hand flew up and clamped around his.

Darkness spread across his face and he forced her backwards, suspending her over the drop. Kate's heart was in her throat but still she held on, if anything tighter. When not a sound of protest left Kate's mouth the attacker pulled with a huge force that threatened to wrench her arm out of its socket. She tumbled onto the bedroom floor, still attached to the knife. The attacker kicked her across the face sending blood spraying across the floor. Pain. Kate's mouth filled with blood that she did not swallow. He did it again and again but still she held on. He pressed his foot down on her stomach until his full weight was upon it, but Kate only gripped tighter. The foot kicked until there was nothing left un-bruised, but the knife was going nowhere.

The shouting from outside the door had stopped but there was no mistaking the fear in the man's eyes; his time was running short. The sirens grew louder. He crouched over Kate, forcing her in place and tried to work with the knife anyway, putting his full force behind it as he tried to bury it into her face. Kate only pushed back. She had none of the man's strength, but what she lacked in muscle she made up for in level-headedness. He was panicking, whereas she was growing braver by the moment. She needed only to stall for a few more minutes. She resisted the knife with all her might; just enough to keep it above her face, and moved her head from side to side as often as she could. But it only worked for so long. Soon enough it was stabbing the carpet beside her head, and it was all Kate could do to keep moving. It was missing her by a hair.

He attacker's face was hideous; red and sweating and contorted. His eyes were screwed up so small that it was a wonder he was so accurate. Kate eyed his features, so exaggerated and bold. _He should have bought a ski mask_ She thought _there's no mistaking him_.

His nose, she decided was the worst; big and bulbous and ugly. She hated recalling how it had felt upon her shoulder. The knife was moving faster, and finally he moved his hand to Kate's neck squeezing hard until barely a whisper of air could slip through. She choked and gurgled and fought his grip with her knife-free hand, but this was a man acting in fear; there was no stopping him. Kate's heart fought to get out as she writhed in his hands, and as the air left her body her vision began to blur and fade. She was on the brink of unconsciousness, and as her eyes threatened to close for the last time she saw the blade rise for a final blow.

One…her eyes closed

Two…she heard the sharp inhale of her attacker

_Three._

In one last push Kate wrenched her head to the side. She heard the knife tear through the carpet beside her, and her arms flashed to her neck. They found the attacker's fingers and with what little strength Kate had left she pulled them apart in one sharp jerk. Whether he had relaxed his hand after thinking her dead, or Kate's desire to live was just that strong she would never know, but a vile crack sounded and the strange man's hand's came away. Kate opened her eyes and found them blurry, but blurs were all that she needed. As the man screamed in pain over his ruined hand Kate tore the knife out of the floor and drove it upwards into his shoulder, forcing him over onto his back. He screamed again, but it also brought his attention back to her. He punched Kate in the nose, knocking her backwards but she brought the knife with her and he screamed again, blood pouring out all over his black hoodie. Kate was back on her haunches immediately, eyes growing clearer by the moment. She brought the knife into the man's stomach making him double over, and when she shoved him away blood spurted out across her face as the knife left him. He lay bleeding against the wall below the window. Harmed, but not harmless. Kate knew that people like him were not unaccustomed to this sort of pain. Turning her back now would be her end.

She came closer and gripped the man's hair. Kneeling before him she bent his head back and stared into his eyes, which were still wide with rage. She was not so far gone as to gouge them out. Instead she smashed her fist down onto his nose so hard that the blood caught some distance in all directions. The man leaned over to the side and retched; bile and blood spattered across the floor and Kate leapt back like. She examined the attacker at a distance, who was beginning to stand. She had caught him off guard, but he was a big man; muscle and experience protected him from being immobilized by just two stab wounds. The hobby that Kate had developed over the weeks came into play, and she saw her opening. She darted and dove towards him, hitting the floor at his feet. Before he had even tried to bend over the knife met his heels, and cut his tendons. The floor would never be the same for the blood it saw that night.

He fell, but this time Kate did not get away quick enough and he came down on top of her. It was agony, she was badly winded, and for all she had done, the man had the advantage now. While his weight kept her rooted, the attacker pinned the knife arm against the floor. His other went to his belt "There are some things" he said thickly through his nose "the police can't undo"

Whatever blood-hungry bravery had possessed Kate, it now fought the fear that this man posed. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to catch her breath while his hand found her jeans.

_I can't afford to be afraid now._

"Is this the way your daddy did it?"

And then Kate's eyes were open, tears of rage burning them hard. She kicked harder and faster than she knew that she could, and found her arms pushing his back off of the ground. The shock on his face was half sweet, half sickly. The blood she recalled still flooded her mouth. She spat it at him, coating his face and hair. She almost had him upright before the door crashed to the floor behind her "Freeze!" said an unknown upholder of the law. The man's eyes fell to them, and his hands came away. Kate was not finished though. Before he or the officers had moved the knife was between his legs, and had cut. The knife's final resting place was in the man's stomach once more; there Kate plunged it before the officers moved in and bundled her away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Holy shit" It was odd to hear John's laugh after such a long stalemate "Holy fucking shit. At this rate we won't need to fucking adopt her."

"It's not fucking funny John" Hoffman snapped down the phone. It was a little but funny, but only a little bit. Kate would undoubtedly be traumatised, and have to be moved to a different Home which wouldn't help. Not to mention the fact that the Johnson family would be even more relentless now.

"Be happy. She's just made your job easier!"

Hoffman rolled his eyes and hung up; at least John was past their difficulties. The station was awash with people; everyone working to convict the Johnsons was out and after information, plus there was the regular crowd of Friday night cases and those paid to sort and report them. Hoffman was on his way to Kate's interview- the man had been carted somewhere high security to await trial- and expecting the worst.

She was still covered in blood, huddled inside a blanket with a cup of tea. A packet of wet wipes and a second hand dressing gown sat next to her untouched. As Hoffman entered the room he immediately felt eyes upon him; eyes that told him he was unwanted. The owners of these eyes, the given attorney and another officer were across the table from Kate, who was politely ignoring the both of them. The social worker was next to her, uncharacteristically awake and alert.

"Detective Hoffman" said the officer, whose name if memory served was Smith "We're in the middle of a interrogation"

"Yes, I see that." Hoffman sat next to Kate and ruffled her hair as if they were just sitting down to watch T.V (which they had never done).

"You are not authorised to be here" Smith had always been bitch for the code of conduct- even more so than the fucking chief.

"I'm not authorised to kick your ass either. Which of those two rules would you rather I broke?"

That ended that. Smith sat back down like the little bitch he was and pressed play on the recorder-In the middle Hoffman's ass. It hadn't even started.

"This interview takes place on the seventeenth of April twenty thirteen at four thirty two AM. Those present are myself; Detective inspector Victor Smith, Frank Delrain attorney at law, social worker William Cobain, acting guardian Detective Mark Hoffman and Katelyn Tiffany Moon, aged sixteen, victim of an attempted kidnapping, sexual assault, grievous bodily harm and attempted murder executed by Tyrone Alexander Johnson aged thirty four. These events took place from nine fifteen PM on the sixteenth of April twenty thirteen, to nine thirty two of the same night. Police were alerted by detective Hoffman at nine oh eight PM that a stolen black ford transit being driven by Tyrone and Ulf Johnson, aged forty nine was headed towards The White Forest Foster Home. Detective Hoffman, according to an earlier statement pulled the car over on his way to the establishment. Upon seeing the two men driving he attempted to apprehend them, but was assaulted by a cattle prod the men had concealed in the glove box and immobilized."

"A team was immediately dispatched. At nine twelve PM the station received a second transmittion from detective Hoffman stating that David Hammet, a resident of White Forest had seen a man now identified as Tyrone in the Home's back garden. Detective Hoffman expressed concern that he may try to apprehend Miss Moon, who had already been the target of two attempted murders earlier in the year. Again referring to detective Hoffman's statement, He and Rose Johnson, acting coordinator of White Forest attempted to alert Miss Moon to the danger but could not be heard for the sound of her music- it should be noted that Miss Moon had wedged a chair under her door to stop people from entering. Police arrived on the scene at nine thirty PM and found Tyrone and Miss Moon involved in a struggle. Tyrone's genitalia were exposed, and it was evident that he was in the process of an attempted rape or molestation. Miss Moon suffered from severe bruising to the face, neck and torso, damage to the nose, jaw and stomach, and whiplash."

Smith stopped to take a well deserved drink "Miss Moon are you able to give us an account of what happened?"

Kate looked up from her tea "Yes."

"Then please proceed."

Kate spoke like it was nothing. Hoffman hung on every word, growing progressively angrier and more depressed. When she spoke about the strangling, he couldn't mistake the tone of disbelief "I just kept moving my head. But he grabbed my neck, and strangled me. I could sort-of…feel myself going. But he was going to stab me in the face too. And I moved my head again. He didn't expect that to happen." She stopped to sip "He didn't hold me as tight when he thought I was dead." She paused for what seemed like ages, sipping and thinking.

Mr Cobain's voice was more genuine that Hoffman had ever heard it "Are you able to continue?"

"If Miss Moon would like to continue the interview at a less stressful time?" Smith asked

"No, No" Kate said lightly "I was just thinking. His hand was loose, and he was off guard. And so it was easy to grab his fingers. I didn't expect them to spread to far, but I'm not complaining."

"Miss Moon refers to Tyrone's broken hand; his left middle and ring fingers were pulled apart to the degree that the skin and muscle split, and two bones were fractured." Smith glanced at the medical report.

"Yes. He let go. But the knife was still there. So I picked it up, and I stabbed him in the shoulder. He punched me in the nose but it just pulled the knife out. Then I got him in the stomach, and he fell against the wall."

"'Stab wounds to the torso' yes, there were three"

"Well that's the first two. I know that it wasn't necessary to do more. But you have to understand. That wasn't going to put him down, and I couldn't-"

"It's absolutely fine" Said Cobain

"You're not in any trouble Kate" chipped in Smith "It was all in self defence."

"Go on" Hoffman uttered, too afraid to place a hand upon her "What else did you do?"

Kate nodded and sipped her tea again "I punched him in the nose- pretty sure I broke it."

"'Crushed nose. Will require reconstructive surgery'"

Hoffman tried not to smile

"Then he was sick, and I got away from him. But he tried to stand up again, and I knew that those little things weren't enough. He was slow, and hurt. And to I got at his legs and cut the backs of his ankles"

"'severed tendons on both heels'"

"But then he fell. And he didn't need his legs. He was heavy enough to keep me down. He held the arm with the knife, and undid his pants." Hoffman cringed. Kate was so casual, it was worse than if she had been in tears "As he undid mine, he said…" she trailed off.

"Miss Moon?" Smith looked up from the medical file "Miss Moon? Let it be known for the purposes of the recording that Miss Moon has become unresponsive."

"Kate?" Hoffman leaned in "What did he say to you?"

"Has my client been tested for shock?" asked the Lawyer finally

"Thoroughly" Smith checked his file "She showed no signs."

"I must insist that we postpone this interview" Cobain argued "We cannot ask her to-"

"He said" Kate cut in, silencing them "He said, 'Is this the way your daddy did it?' I pushed him away. Hard. I spat my blood in his face. Then the police arrived, and he let go of me. And I cut off his dick."

The room fell into a dead silence. Everyone present was aware of this beforehand. But the fine details were both horrifying and saddening to them all. Smith cleared his throat "'Severed penis'"

"And then I stabbed his stomach a second time."

"'That's the third stab wound?'"

"Yes"

"I see."

The silence grew again until Kate finally piped up "I wasn't defending my father. He was a cunt. He deserved to die. But it's hard enough having that be a reality. Having to think about what he's done. I won't have anyone make it into a joke, or something to demean myself or anyone. It's sick enough, what he did, and what so many others still do. Let's not make it any sicker with our imaginations."

"Are you able to tell us where Tyrone touched you before -?"

"Before I cut off his penis? Yes. He touched my back and hip first like I said. Then, when I was down he got just a little bit below the belly- the diaphragm. Never tried to touch my breasts."

Smith nodded "I think that will be all for now. This concludes this interview with Katelyn Tiffany Moon. End time-Five fifty six AM, Seventeenth of April twenty thirteen." The recorder was shut off and the room seemed to grow both awkward and relaxed at the same time.

The lawyer was the first to stand "I have all the information to defend your word, Katelyn." He didn't wait for a response before leaving.

Second was Smith, who actually forgot to give Hoffman a dirty look as he packed the files away- possibly because it was pretty fucking depressing what had gone on that night "Mr Cobain has arranged your stay for the night. We might need to call you in for a later interview should anything unexpected come up. But there's no reason to feel at risk. You will have full police protection twenty four seven from here on out." then he was gone, and Hoffman politely flipped off the door as it shut. Cobain got up and gestured for the door. Kate slid off the seat, holding the blanket tight around her. She had been given a camisole that covered her bare chest- the bra was taken as evidence, being coated in blood and whatnot- but it did nothing to help her appearance. She looked absolutely tiny, her legs barely holding her up. She was so bruised and bloodied that Hoffman was afraid to even touch her.

They entered the hall, and Cobain nodded to Hoffman "You've been cleared as a temporary foster home for the next few days. I'll accompany you and do a spot check to ensure everything's in order, and there will be a squad car around the corner at all times."

"Understood." Hoffman nodded back. Kate didn't appear interested. The florescent lighting made her look pale and sickly, and Hoffman wanted nothing more than to just get her home "we'll take her out the back. The front's full of leaches." The press had not delayed in swarming the place. Hoffman was glad that Rose and the other children were some place safe and private for now.

Regardless of the escape plan, Kate still had a black coat over her head as they left which she accepted with a tired sigh; the interview, no matter how calm she had been during it, had still exhausted her. There were a few members of the press in the back entrance, but Hoffman's look was enough to keep them away.

The drive took a while; the main roads weren't safe. Nobody seemed to mind. The radio played softly, and he and Cobain made idle chitchat- Kate couldn't sit in the front this time, for obvious reasons. She just stared at the lights of the town in silence, as small as Hoffman had ever seen her.

The apartment had been cleaned that morning to Hoffman's relief. The beds made, beer bottles recycled by an eco-friendly maid who Hoffman over-tipped out of guilt. Kate was nestled in an armchair, eyeing the main room with tired curiosity. It wasn't much; a couch and T.V with a table near enough to watch and eat. A kitchenette on the other side of the room that was barely used. There were two bedrooms. One was messy, dark and stagnant and used for sleep. The other was fresh and airy and clean, and used for sex. Then there was the bathroom which was always pristine. When the assessment was finished Cobain had Hoffman sign a few things "Answer the door to no-one that doesn't present a police badge. Even if they claim to be a social worker, you ask for police clearance-"

"I know. I _am_ a cop you realize." Hoffman cut in

Cobain tucked away his pen and sighed "Yes. Yes you are. Anyway, I will arrive in a few days with the details for Kate's new placement. She may have to go into witness protection at this rate, so be ready for a change of venue."

Hoffman showed him out, and noticed Kate's eyes upon him. They both shared the same sadness; Kate was to be moved again. Her friends, school, belongings were to be left behind. She didn't need to speak to show how much it was hurting her.

"Can I go to bed now?" she asked, defeated.

Hoffman almost said yes. But she was covered in blood, sweat and a million other things. "You'll need a bath or shower first."

Kate threw what little weight she had to the side "Hoffman, please" her voice cracked "I just want to sleep."

"So do I Kate. But Cobain will shoot me then himself if you keep getting screwed around. Come on."

"_No."_

"Now, Kate."

She dragged herself after him into the bathroom, leaving red-brown footprints on the white tile. "Bath or shower?" he asked. She shrugged. "Well a bath will just send you to sleep, and I don't want to think about what Cobain will do to me then. I'll show you how the shower works."

"I know how to work a shower. You can go now."

"Ah, there's that teen spirit I've heard so much about. Go on then." Hoffman slipped out of the door, and hovered between the sex and sleep rooms- he had done unscrupulous things in both, and couldn't think of letting Kate sleep in either of them. Eventually he resolved to turn his sleeping mattress over. And change the sheets. And move his pornography. And do several other things to keep from having the next few days haunt Kate forever. Besides, the sleep room had no window. Kate needed to sleep for as long as possible.

When he emerged from the bedroom, having sorted his unmentionables the shower was still going so he slumped on the couch and turned on the T.V. The news was a no-go zone. Kate's name was everywhere. They had no photos, thank God. Sports were boring and most of his other channels didn't show anything interesting until about ten on a weekend. The kid's channels were awake though. He settled on a cartoon where some anthropomorphised animals in underwear ran a hotel. It wasn't half bad.

"Hoffman?" the voice came muffled and worried through the door "Hoffman?"

"Kate?" Hoffman came to the door "Are you okay?" his hand went to his radio.

"Hoffman...I don't have any clothes."

He was caught between laughing and a sort of nervous meowing noise. Dashing to his room Hoffman fished out a T-shirt and a pair of sweats that didn't fit him anymore. They would do…barely. He knocked at the door, and it opened a crack letting a warm fog through. Kate grasped blindly for the garments, and as she did so Hoffman saw the bruises forming on her forearms and cringed again. A few moments later she emerged with sopping hair looking weaker than ever. The T-Shirt came to her knees and hung precariously from her shoulders. The sweats were piled up around her feet, the drawstring pulled as tight as possible.

"Sorry I don't have anything smaller."

"Of all the things that have happened in the last twenty four hours, I think I can forgive this." Kate, he saw now was so close to tears that it hurt to look at her. She stood in the doorway, waiting for orders and staring at her feet and letting her hair cling to the shirt, making her shiver just the littlest bit. Hoffman couldn't bear it. Without prompt he put his hands under her arms and lifted her up. She was too light to be safe. He carried Kate into the bedroom and tucked her into bed. She did not protest, or even show any awareness of what was going on. Hoffman shut the door and turned on the bedside lamp. Kate lay in silence, just her eyes and nose peeping out from the covers. Hoffman sat in an armchair beside her and pulled a book from the cushions. _War and peace. _Every page or two he peeked across to the bed, and watched. Kate's eyes were wide, but drooping. And by the end of the chapter she was asleep. Hoffman didn't have the heart to turn off the light. Or leave. Instead he sat reading, until he too dropped off to sleep. But his dreams were nightmares, and he soon found himself awake in a cold sweat, with Kate tossing and turning beside him.

**You know when I said I was done with depressing chapters? Well fuck that. Here's some feels. This was actually really upsetting to write. **

**How many Kurt Cobain Jokes can you fit into one chapter? About two, it seems. **

**YAH YAH YAH YAH AYA YAH YAH YAH YAH**

**ALMOST NAKED ANIMALS!**

**I will try to update more often, as I do tend to procrastinate. But this chapter is me procrastinating, so it's all swings and roundabouts. I'm also considering changing the name of the Johnsons to something else. I just don't like the name. Let me know. **


	16. Discretion Is The Friend Of The Fragile

**Disclaimer: Okay, believe it or not, I'm running out of witty ways to say that I don't own this franchise. So if anyone knows if I'm obligated to put it on EVERY SINGLE PAGE I'd be thankful. **

The washer was loud, but Hoffman didn't doubt that Kate would sleep through it. Pulling the sheets off of her had been nerve wracking at first; the situation was awkward enough without her waking up halfway through Hoffman's attempted discreetness. But midway through the process he had cottoned on that Kate wasn't waking up for anything, and whipped them away. Lifting her up and taking the bottom sheet had been particularly difficult, and Hoffman had realised that no matter what he did Kate would undoubtedly be uncomfortable when she woke up. There was nothing to be done but replace the sheets and leave some clean clothes for when she came to.

Cobain had called him earlier that morning to check up on things. Hoffman had said nothing on the situation in the bed; it was unnecessary to mention. Cobain was to arrive that day after Kate's room had been cleared with her things, and information about what was next for them. Witness protection was now confirmed, he had said. For the both of them.

It was the second day after the attack; Kate had slept through the first. Hoffman could have watched her sleep for days that first night as he sat bolt upright next to the bed unable to shut down. He had been pulled away by the phone and the morning light but hadn't got much done; he'd showered and dressed but still found himself in the room, in the darkness watching Kate sleep. The second night he finished war and peace, and several other books before he nodded off. It had been a deep sleep, with no dreams or nightmares to bring him out of it. He was glad he had woken early this time and been able to sort things out. He was sure that Kate would wake up today, or they might have a problem.

Soon enough she appeared around the bedroom door, more stealthy than timid. Hoffman pretended not to see her and sat down in front of the T.V, watching the same cartoon he had last night. Kate was wearing the new clothes that Hoffman had laid out, which were even baggier than the ones before. She sat on the other end of the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest like she was trying to make herself invisible. Hoffman didn't try to make her come closer; he knew well enough to let her be as reclusive as she wanted after the other day. The cartoon ended and he tossed her the remote "anything you wanna watch?" he asked nonchalantly. Kate looked at the remote for a moment, trying to figure out the buttons then turned it to the news. The police had stayed as ambiguous as possible in the statement; the press knew only that there was an attack, the details of what went on were known only to a few. Still Kate watched, intrigued with every piece of information, every interview, every statement. When the report ended she turned it back to the cartoons and seemed to unfold, curling up into the couch. "Is it really ok what I did?" she asked eventually, as casually as Hoffman would be when asking for a beer.

He nodded "Yes. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Yes I do. Just a little less now."

Hoffman couldn't even argue, so he changed the subject "Hungry?"

"Kinda."

"There are leftovers in the fridge. Go nuts."

The way that Kate ate was pretty entertaining. She squatted on the couch cushions like a squirrel, chewing slow and leaving nothing. It was good to see her eating properly for a change. More cartoons came on, none as good as the underwear one but some gems here and there. They sat in silence, oddly afraid of one another for the first time since they'd met. When the buzzer downstairs went off they both jumped violently. "That'll be Cobain." Hoffman blurted, dashing to the door. Kat seemed to curl up again, peering over the back of the couch to the door.

Cobain bustled in bearing suitcases and plastic bags. The guitar was slung over his shoulder and there were several boxes in the hall. His face was grey and he didn't look to have slept much. He looked at Kate and smiled thinly "How are you feeling?"

Kate shrugged and looked back to the T.V. The social worker sighed and sat down at the table "It's been rough, but you're both sorted out."

Hoffman went to the kitchenette and turned on the coffee machine "Sorry if you had trouble."

"Not a great deal I guess. It's the witness protection people that are exhausting. The real trouble was convincing them to let you stay together."

Out of the corner of Hoffman's eye he saw Kate shift her weight. She was listening far more intently than she was letting on. He pretended to be busy "why would that be?

"You've been her escort for a while now but you've also applied to be her foster father. You've bought her gifts, bought her clothes. They're saying you two have gotten too close; you can't be expected to be her father and her officer. They reckon it's a conflict of interests."

Hoffman brought the coffee back to the table in silence. Kate was still listening. Cobain looked into his mug and sipped. The disgust was poorly concealed as he set it aside "I managed to convince them not to change Kate's escort. But when you two come out of the program then there's no other option."

Hoffman nodded "Will I still be able to…"

"You might be able to see her. But in regards to fostering…I don't know" They both pretended not to see Kate "Anyway. To the now; I have her things. Most of them anyway. The stereo and the phone are evidence, but they are the only important things lost. She wouldn't have been able to keep it anyway. I wouldn't recommend unpacking; you're both leaving in about a week. Your new identities are right here." He brought out a folder and slid it across the table "very few people will know where or who you will be"

"Does that include you?"

"Yes."

Hoffman opened the folder and the word 'Canada' was the first one he saw. They were moving to Toronto. "Fuck the cold" he uttered "I hate hockey too."

"Well learn to bear it." Cobain retorted "And try to believe your own back story. I'll see you again in a couple of days to let you know the when's and hows." He stood "Kate."

She turned around

"You know the number if you have any issues or questions right?"

She nodded. Hoffman pretended not to be offended. Cobain left without another word and the silence came back. The coffee went cold on the table and the T.V was blaring ugly sound and colours. Kate got up and picked up the file. She had a new appearance that she wasn't going to like. A new set of parents. A new birthday. She took of the piece of paper with her information and took it into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Hoffman picked up his own and mused over it. His new name was Karl Hawkins. He didn't look at anything else. He had lost his only family years ago, he didn't mind a new one.

But what about John? He had no doubt seen the news. What would happen with their work? He wondered what Amanda would say. What a lot of people would say for that matter. He put his head on the table and sighed, listening to the cartoons growing increasingly low quality. He longed for the animals in underwear. They were more fun.

**Okay, so this chapter is regretfully uneventful. But hey, Canada! I promise things will get juicer and potentially less sombre. I mean, how can anyone be sad in Canada? Unless you're allergic to moose. And yes, I did have to Google the plural of moose. **


	17. Moody Runaways and Macabre Marauders

**Disclaimer: Saw belongs to someone else. **

**News! I'm getting my first tattoo on the second of November, and am going to see Lamb of God in January. Also, I'm going to the London expo on the 27****th**** of October for my 18****th****. If anyone else is, I'll be the fucker dressed as Totoro. Grey Skinnies, grey Cammy, Totoro hat and grey converses. I'm trying to piece together a portfolio for UEA so yeah, slow work as always. **

They drove slowly across the icy roads. The heating was on full blast and made Kate feel sleepy and safe, like being back in the womb. She had Russell Brand's first book on her lap, where he described heroin as having a similar effect. She shut it and stared out of the window.

The snow was heavy. Heavier than she had ever seen it in all her years living in New York. There were a lot of four wheel drive cars and snow chains and ploughs. She almost had to admire these people for not completely shutting down like the rest of the world seemed to do when it snowed heavy. But then again, they were probably used to it. Kate's scalp itched even though the hairdresser had said it wouldn't. The witness protection had had a load of people, stylists and personal shoppers and people that they just didn't seem like they would have. The few of Kate's possessions that she had been able to keep were stashed in a box in the back. The silver necklace that Hoffman had given her, her CDs, her sketchbook and notepads of things she'd written. Her guitar had been replaced with a new and considerably better model, but she didn't feel like she would play this one quite as much. She had been warned that any photos of the others at the home should be destroyed but there had been none to dispose of. She had never taken any photos of them. It didn't matter, she didn't want any now.

They had all been split up apparently. Sent to different homes and Rose was facing an inquisition because of all that her family had done. It would be a long time before they saw each other again and if they did Kate was sure they wouldn't want to.

She had blond hair now that she didn't like even the littlest bit. Her clothes were baggy and bright; she had been encouraged to plump up but could never keep anything down. She had coloured blue contacts that were a pain to get in and even worse to get out. Her name? She didn't think of it. She did her best to forget it, both of her names in fact. She couldn't be Kate anymore and frankly she didn't want to be. But this new person? Who was born in California and lived with her uncle? Who loved to swim and fix computers? Kate could barely swim and she knew just enough about PCs to get by, that had always been enough for her. The WPP had tried to tide her over with a new computer, packaged in the back. They had asked her what she liked to do and when writing was dismissed she had said video games. They weren't awful; she'd played a few games of GTA with David once or twice and had tried her hand at Assassin's Creed 2. They'd thrown in some new games too. Kate was at least a little pleased at that.

She tucked herself up on her seat. Thinking about David had made her chest feel heavy. Kate had dealt with all of the typical morning after realisations in the days following the attack. Things like what Harriet and Dominic were going to be told, what they might have seen. How would David and Sam take being split up? Was Megan going to be able to tell her relatives in Spain where she was? These questions had no answers that Kate could find. She just had to keep on going. Hoffman was talking, just as he had been for the last hour or so about how stupid his new identity was. Kate had chosen not to listen, she had endured this for the last three days as they prepared and left. Hoffman wasn't looking for a conversational partner anyway, just a pair of ears. He scowled at the car in front of him "I tried teaching once before you know. Just once, a couple of years ago they wanted me to lecture some newbies about what it's like on the force, how to deal with the stress etcetera. I ended up on probation for a month, know why? This little asshole in the back was talking to his friend, whispering in his ear making him crack up. So I straight out told this prick what I'd do if he didn't pay attention. And it all escalated from there. That was a grown man, if I'm stuck with a bunch of potheads and spoilt brats then you might just find yourself back in another home." He grunted and overtook the car in front "And don't get me fucking started on the look. I've never, nor have I ever needed glasses. Don't get me wrong" he eyed the glasses on Kate's face "There's nothing wrong with them, I just don't wear them well. Just like the big warm clothes or the goddamn haircut."

"You don't like the clothes because they make you look even fatter" Kate mumbled. It had to be said. Hoffman paused for a moment and shook his head. The silence had become something of a comfort in the last few days. Nobody was making noise and asking for a response. Kate could be as quiet or loud as she wanted. Usually she wanted to be quiet, but now she had something that needed to be said "Hoffman" She piped up

"Don't call me that" he answered sharply, not taking his eyes from the road "You have to call me _ now." He used his new name.

"I think we need more that just you and me." She saw his expression change in the corner of her eye and spoke quickly "I don't mean like you getting a partner or whatever. The last thing I want is someone pretending to be my friend. Or my parent for that matter." Hoffman's face changed again "But we need…we need a woman around. Not because I need some woman's influence to be raised right, or because I'm lonely. But because there's…there are some things that you don't know how to handle. Private stuff. Stuff that if you dealt with, you'd be violating boundaries. You're still a cop, here by order. And it'd save some awkwardness when you think about it." She was talking about what had happened after the first sleep at Hoffman's. It had been the worst feeling, waking up with all the memories of the night swimming around her head like a dark dream. She'd thought she was sweating at first but then she'd realised. Kate had thought that maybe she could have changed the sheets and stuff before Hoffman notice but she'd felt that they were dry and realized. It hadn't been a one off either. It had happened a second time two nights ago, but Kate'd woken up and sort of fixed it. And by that, she meant that she'd thrown the stuff into the washing machine, then the dryer, and then spread it back over. But Hoffman had woken up when she was halfway through and called out. He didn't get up but she knew that he knew and felt shitty.

They were nearly there. They'd just crossed into Toronto, about an hour's drive from their new place. The radio was cracking and died, and Kate didn't feel like putting one of her CD's on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX

John watched as blood spurted across the room and into the faces of the young women. One was screaming, another was stunned. The third just looked on coldly, having already accepted that this was the way that it had to be. The saw powered down and stopped leaving the headless body to flop forward into the floor like a baby falling from a bed. One of the women was sick in the corner. Amanda was smiling at the screen with a glint in her eye that told John that she'd missed this. He couldn't deny that he had too. Hoffman had become something of a moral compass over the months and a wet blanket to boot. When he was there he would sit in the corner not watching, judging them. He was always somewhat flinchy anyway and although John had attributed that to his past it was no less aggravating.

"Oh Jesus" Amanda chortled "Did you see that?" one of the women, the cold one was rifling through the dead guy's neck, tearing away bone and skin and muscle "I like her. I like that one" John couldn't help but nod. This one was strong.

He picked up the pig mask and handed it to Amanda "Do your thing" he said sullenly. Amanda snatched it up and picked up her syringes, her long black coat swishing as she moved "Remember, we need one deaf, one blind, one silent"

"You act like I've never done this before" Amanda smiled. When she was gone John turned back to the screen. This was becoming distressing. They needed their man on the force, without him they couldn't keep the police off of them. And they didn't know half the stuff they did before. But who on the force could they contract? Who on the force had any kind of motive? John picked up a file that was lying nearby and flicked through it. Officer's faces flashed at him and he tossed it across the room to the trash. He'd have to pick it up again later; important information. But for now a directory of the homicide division wasn't helping him. He watched Amanda through the screen dragging the woman who had been crying away and digging the needle into her neck. He wasn't surprised when she let the woman's head collide with a pile of shattered glass before hauling her away. Amanda was brutal. She always had been. It had been weird before, watching her with Kate being so…normal. But then again he hadn't quite been himself either.

He swigged his cold coffee and sighed to himself "Tell me what to do Jill…"

**Yo. Again, sorry that these are coming out so slowly. Also, If I get anything wrong about Canada just let me know in the comments and I can amend chapters. **


End file.
